Hemiptera (‘half-winged’ true bugs)Characteristics: Two pairs of wings normally present; mouthparts piercing and sucking, forming a beak, orrostrum, normally held under the body. Metamorphosis usually incomplete, with eggand nymphal stages.
Family: Cimicidae.Flat, oval insects, with very short, functionless forewings; hind wings absent; rostrum lies in aventral groove; tarsi 3-segmented; exclusively bloodsucking.
Species characteristics and host/habitat:
Common Bed bug(Cimex lectularius)Adults, 5mm long; reddish-brown in colour, becoming purple after feeding; well-developed antennae; prominent, simple eyes; feet clawed so can climb rough but not smooth surfaces; ratio of head width (including eyes) to length ofthird antennal segment usually greater than 1.7.Host/habitat:The principal host is man, though other warm-blooded animals can be parasitised. Found inhuman habitations throughout the world.
Other blood-feeding bugs Blood-feeding bugs, very similar in appearance to the Common bed bug, can often be found infesting birds’ nests and bat roosts. In certain circumstances, these bugs may invade houses and attack humans. They include: Pigeon Bug(Cimex columbarius)Very similar in size and appearance to the Common bed bug; can be distinguished by the ratio ofhead width to length of third antennal segment, which is less than 1.6 in most specimens.
Host/habitat: Principal hosts are birds; mainly found in starlings’ nests, pigeon lofts and poultry houses, but can attack man.
Martin Bug(Oeciacus hirundinis) Similar in appearance to the Common bed bug, but smaller and more hairy. Can be further distinguished by the following characteristics: when viewed from above, the front margin of the prothorax is far less concave than in the other species; the head width is also more than twice the length of the third antennal segment. Host/habitat: Principal hosts are birds; often found in martins ’nests, but can attack man.
Distribution:
As bed bugs cannot fly, they must either crawl or be passively transported in clothing, or more probably in luggage, furniture, books and other objects used as harbourages. Their ability to withstand many months without feeding increases their chances of surviving such transportation and the insects’ very wide distribution throughout the world demonstrates their success.
Any household can be invaded by bed bugs, but it is likely that infestations will only be come established in premises with low standards of hygiene. Bed bugs are therefore generally associated with poor, crowded and unhygienic conditions. Most bed bug infestations are to be found in domestic premises, usually in the bedrooms. Both juveniles and adults live similar lives, hiding away in cracks and crevices for most of the time and coming out at night, usually just before dawn, to feed on the blood of their sleeping hosts. Their hiding-places will be close to where their hosts sleep: in the bed frame or the mattress, in furniture, behind the skirting, behind the wallpaper – anywhere that affords a dark harbourage during the daylight hours for these nocturnal creatures. The insect infestations occur particularly in areas of high population density including hotels, hostels and holiday camps. In temperate climates bed bugs reach their peak numbers towards early autumn. At this time all stages in the lifecycle will be present. With the onset of colder weather their activity decreases, egg-laying ceases and development of the juvenile forms slows down. Bed bugs over winter mainly as adults, since the eggs and nymphs are more susceptible to low temperatures and die out with the onset of winter, unless in adequately heated premises.
