How do domestic bedbugs feed? - briefly
Adult bedbugs use their needle‑like proboscis to puncture the skin, inject anticoagulant saliva, and draw the resulting liquid blood. Feeding usually lasts 5–10 minutes and takes place at night while the host is asleep.
How do domestic bedbugs feed? - in detail
Domestic bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) obtain nourishment exclusively from the blood of humans and, occasionally, other warm‑blooded mammals. The feeding cycle proceeds through several distinct stages.
When a bug awakens from its nocturnal rest, it ascends vertical surfaces using its legs and adhesive pads, guided by carbon dioxide, heat, and kairomones emitted by the host. Upon reaching the skin, the insect probes with its elongated, beak‑like rostrum, which houses two complementary stylets: one for injecting saliva and another for drawing blood.
The salivary cocktail contains anticoagulants, vasodilators, and anesthetic proteins. These compounds prevent clot formation, widen capillaries, and suppress the host’s sensation, allowing uninterrupted feeding for 5–10 minutes. Blood is drawn through the posterior stylet into the midgut, where it is stored in a distensible reservoir. During ingestion, the bug’s abdomen expands considerably, sometimes doubling in size.
After engorgement, the insect retreats to a protected harbor—typically a mattress seam, wall crack, or furniture crevice—where it detaches its rostrum, seals the wound with a thin layer of saliva, and begins digestion. Digestion proceeds slowly; the insect metabolizes the blood over several days, using the nutrients for growth, molting, and reproduction. Between meals, the bug can survive for weeks to months without feeding, depending on temperature and humidity.
Key physiological aspects of the feeding process include:
- Sensory detection of host cues (CO₂, heat, odor)
- Precise insertion of dual stylets
- Delivery of pharmacologically active saliva
- Rapid blood uptake and abdominal expansion
- Post‑feeding digestion and nutrient allocation
Understanding these mechanisms clarifies why bedbugs are capable of inflicting repeated bites with minimal detection and why control measures must target both the insects and their harborages.