How do bedbugs drink blood? - briefly
Bedbugs feed by penetrating the skin with a needle‑like proboscis, releasing anticoagulants, and then sucking the liquid through a series of stylet canals. Muscular contractions in the abdomen create suction that draws the blood into their gut.
How do bedbugs drink blood? - in detail
Bedbugs possess a specialized piercing‑sucking mouthpart called a proboscis, which consists of two elongated, hollow stylets. The outer stylet acts as a guide, while the inner stylet functions as a channel for fluid intake. During a feeding episode, the insect first detects a host through heat and carbon‑dioxide cues, then climbs onto exposed skin.
The feeding process unfolds in distinct steps:
- Anchoring – The insect secures itself with its claws and inserts the tip of the proboscis into the epidermis.
- Penetration – The inner stylet pierces the skin and reaches a capillary or superficial blood vessel.
- Saliva injection – Anticoagulant and anesthetic compounds in the saliva prevent clotting and reduce the host’s perception of the bite.
- Blood uptake – Negative pressure generated by muscular contractions draws blood up the hollow stylet into the foregut.
- Storage – Blood is temporarily held in the ventral diverticulum, a distensible sac that can expand to accommodate volumes up to 10 µl.
- Digestion – Enzymes in the midgut break down hemoglobin and other proteins; nutrients are absorbed across the gut epithelium.
- Excretion – Excess fluid is expelled through the anus, often as a pale, watery droplet.
Feeding typically lasts 5–10 minutes, after which the bug retreats to a shelter to digest the meal. Repeated blood meals are required for each molt and for egg production, linking the feeding mechanism directly to the insect’s life cycle.