Who eats bed bugs from birds? - briefly
Insect‑eating birds—including swifts, swallows and several passerine species—remove and ingest bed bugs that infest avian hosts. Small mammalian predators such as shrews also consume these parasites when encountered.
Who eats bed bugs from birds? - in detail
Bed‑bug predators in avian environments include a range of arthropods that actively hunt or scavenge the insects inhabiting nests. Ant species such as Lasius and Formica locate nests by chemical cues and transport bed‑bugs back to their colonies, where workers consume the prey. Ground‑dwelling beetles, particularly dermestids (Dermestes spp.) and rove beetles (Staphylinidae), seize immobilized bugs during nest cleaning activities and digest them whole. Spiders constructing webs in nest cavities capture wandering bed‑bugs; members of the families Theridiidae and Linyphiidae are frequently recorded in this role. Predatory true bugs, especially assassin bugs (Reduviidae), pierce the exoskeleton of bed‑bugs with their rostrum and inject digestive enzymes before ingestion. Certain wasps, notably ichneumonids, lay eggs inside bed‑bug nymphs, and the emerging larvae consume the host from within.
Mammalian opportunists also participate. Small insectivorous mammals such as shrews (Sorex spp.) forage in abandoned nests, extracting bed‑bugs from crevices. Birds themselves may remove bed‑bugs during vigorous preening, swallowing the insects inadvertently. Nest‑building birds that line nests with aromatic plant material (e.g., Artemisia spp.) create an environment that deters bed‑bugs, indirectly reducing their numbers and favoring predator activity.
Key ecological impacts of these predators include:
- Reduction of bed‑bug population density, lowering parasite load on nestlings.
- Disruption of bed‑bug life cycles by targeting eggs and early instars.
- Enhancement of nest hygiene, promoting higher fledging success rates.
Understanding the predator assemblage associated with avian nests informs management strategies aimed at controlling bed‑bug infestations in both wild and domestic bird populations.