Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius)
Appearance: Adult bed bugs are 4-5 mm long and up to 3 mm wide. They are light brown to reddish brown in colour. An adult bed bug’s body is oval and flat in shape.
Life cycle: Under warm conditions a bed bug's life span is around 300 days. Female bed bugs usually lay 3-4 eggs per day, up to 500 in their life span. A bed bug egg hatches in as little as a week, and can begin laying eggs of its own in around 4 weeks.
Habits: Bed bugs feed on human blood. They are active mostly during the night, and swell after feeding. Bed bugs mostly live in the animal and human sleeping areas.
Bed bugs can trigger allergic reactions and their bites can become inflamed and infected.