TAXONOMY:
(View Orders)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
   Class:Insecta
    Order: Hemiptera
     Family: Cimicidae
      Genus: Cimex
       Species: lectularius

CHARACTERISTICS: The body is flat, rusty red color - sometimes purple or even brown (red after feeding). Sizes range from 4mm to 6mm. Antennae are present and appear quite slender and segmented. Short stubby legs compliment the short - almost unseen - stubby wings. Bed Bugs enjoy the warmth and constant food supply that mammal hosts offer. They suck the blood out from their host to achieve adulthood. Bed Bugs can survive without food for up to 12 to 15 months and their bites have not been confirmed as carriers of diseases. Their bites do, however, cause bumps or swelling and people are known to have allergic reactions to these bites.

ADULT SIZE (Length, not including legs):
4mm to 6mm (0.16in to 0.24in) (Compare Size)

IDENTIFYING COLORS: red; brown; purple

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Courtesy of the Center for Disease Control

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