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Animal profile

Bed bug

Cimex lectularius

InsectaHuman dwellings, hotels and transport, hiding in seams, frames and crevices near sleeping places

Field profile

The bed bug is a flat, wingless, reddish-brown insect about five millimetres long that feeds on the blood of sleeping mammals, chiefly humans. It hides by day in crevices and can survive long periods without a meal. It is not established as a vector of any human disease.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-06-10

Bed bug

Bed bugs mate by piercing the abdomen

The male bed bug does not use the female's reproductive opening. He drives a sharpened organ straight through her abdominal wall and injects sperm into the body cavity, from which it migrates to the ovaries. The female has evolved armour at the target site.

Read with evidence →

Bed bug | Daily Animal Facts