How do bedbugs look when they are engorged with blood? - briefly
Engorged bedbugs look markedly swollen, their abdomen turning glossy reddish‑amber and expanding to nearly double the insect’s usual size. The enlarged, glossy abdomen obscures the legs and antennae, giving the bug a rounded, balloon‑like silhouette.
How do bedbugs look when they are engorged with blood? - in detail
When a bed bug has just taken a blood meal, its body expands dramatically. The abdomen swells to roughly twice the length of an unfed individual, reaching up to 5–6 mm from the usual 3–4 mm. The cuticle becomes glossy and takes on a deep reddish‑brown hue that often looks almost black in bright light. This coloration fades gradually over several days as digestion proceeds, returning to the typical tan‑brown shade of a starved insect.
The dorsal surface of the engorged insect appears smooth and stretched, with the previously distinct segmentation of the thorax and abdomen becoming less pronounced. The legs retain their slender, pale‑yellow appearance, but they may seem proportionally shorter because the abdomen dominates the visual profile. Antennae remain thin and lightly pigmented, extending from the head without noticeable change.
Key visual markers of a recent blood meal include:
- A markedly enlarged, rounded abdomen that dominates the silhouette.
- A glossy, darkened exoskeleton, especially on the dorsal side.
- Reduced visibility of the insect’s usual mottled pattern.
- A slight flattening of the head and thorax as the abdomen pushes forward.
As digestion continues, the abdomen contracts, the dark gloss diminishes, and the insect regains its characteristic flat, oval shape. The color transitions back to the lighter, speckled brown typical of a fasting bed bug. These changes provide reliable visual cues for distinguishing a fed specimen from one that has not yet fed.