- Internal Anatomy:
- Males: Scent glands, testis, intestines
- Females: Scent glands, intestines, genital chamber, mycetome, ovaries, and ovarioles
- External Anatomy:
- Bed bugs have three body segments: Head, thorax, and abdomen
- Two antennae
- Two eyes
- Six legs
- Reddish brown in color
- Bright red after being engorged from a blood meal
- Piercing sucking mouth parts, also known as a sharp proboscis, that they insert into the human host’s skin
- Differences between sexes:
- Males have sharpened genitalia
- Female have a softened abdominal region for copulation
- Primary source of nourishment
- Human blood
- Sometimes other mammal’s and bird’s blood
Example of Bed bug Nymph up close:
This nymph picture of a bed bug is noticeably more transparent and lighter colored than the adult forms.
Example of bed bug probing human skin up close:
This is an adult female bed bug on the surface the skin, take special notice to the dark rust color and circular abdomen region.
See also: Bed Bug Identification