What do blood bedbugs look like? - briefly
Blood‑feeding bedbugs are small, flat, oval insects about 4–5 mm long, reddish‑brown after a meal and tan when unfed, with six legs and a pointed head. They lack wings, and their creamy‑white abdomen expands and darkens once they have ingested blood.
What do blood bedbugs look like? - in detail
Blood‑feeding bedbugs are small, dorsoventrally flattened insects measuring 4–5 mm in length when unfed and expanding to about 7 mm after a blood meal. Their bodies are oval and lack wings, covered by a hard, dark brown exoskeleton that becomes reddish‑orange when engorged. The dorsal surface displays a distinct, pale, longitudinal stripe running from the head to the abdomen in many species, often used for identification.
Key morphological features include:
- Head: short, concealed beneath the thorax; equipped with a piercing‑sucking rostrum (proboscis) composed of elongated stylets for blood extraction.
- Antennae: five segmented, slender, positioned near the eyes, serving sensory functions.
- Eyes: small, compound, situated laterally on the head.
- Thorax: bears three pairs of legs, each leg ending in a curved claw that enables rapid movement across fabric and walls.
- Abdomen: composed of ten visible segments; after feeding, the abdomen swells dramatically, and the cuticle becomes more translucent, revealing the ingested blood.
Nymphal stages resemble adults but are smaller (1.5–3 mm) and lighter in color, lacking the pronounced abdominal expansion. Each molt results in a slight increase in size and a gradual darkening of the cuticle.
The ventral side features a smooth, pale membrane that facilitates attachment to surfaces. The insect’s overall silhouette is reminiscent of a flattened seed, allowing it to hide in crevices, seams, and mattress folds.
These characteristics collectively define the visual profile of hematophagous bedbugs and differentiate them from other household arthropods.