How do bedbug larvae bite? - briefly
Bedbug nymphs use their needle‑like proboscis to puncture the skin, inject saliva that prevents clotting, and ingest blood. Bites occur at night, often producing small, initially painless spots that may later become itchy or inflamed.
How do bedbug larvae bite? - in detail
Bedbug nymphs, often called larvae, bite using the same piercing‑sucking apparatus as adult insects. Their mouthparts consist of a pair of elongated stylets housed within a sheath. When a nymph locates a host, sensory receptors on its antennae detect heat, carbon dioxide, and skin odors, prompting it to crawl onto exposed skin.
The feeding sequence proceeds as follows:
- The nymph inserts the stylet bundle through the epidermis, creating a narrow trench that minimizes tissue damage.
- Salivary glands release a complex mixture of anticoagulants, vasodilators, and anesthetic proteins. These compounds prevent blood clotting, widen capillaries, and temporarily numb the bite site, reducing the host’s awareness of the intrusion.
- Negative pressure generated by muscular contractions draws blood up the stylet channel into the insect’s foregut. A single nymph typically consumes 0.2–0.5 µL of blood per session, sufficient to sustain its growth stage.
- After feeding, the nymph withdraws the stylet, seals the wound with a thin layer of saliva, and retreats to a protected harbor.
The bite itself leaves a small, red, often itchy welt that may develop a halo of inflammation as the host’s immune response reacts to the salivary proteins. Because nymphs are smaller than adults, the puncture is less conspicuous, yet the biochemical effects are identical. Repeated feedings can amplify skin irritation and lead to secondary infections if scratching damages the epidermis.