Bed vampires or what do bed bugs look like?

Bed bugs are found everywhere, species diversity provided them with a different body shape and size. A distinctive feature of insects is semi-rigid wings, although some groups lack them. Not everyone knows what bugs look like, even if they saw them in the summer on plants. They can be of different colors: brown, green, red. The most familiar form shown in the photo is bed bugs. The parasite feeds on human blood and settles at home.

Squad bugs

Bedbugs (Heteroptera) are insects with incomplete transformation; they are representatives of the order of semi-rigid bugs. The group includes almost 40 thousand species. The distribution of insects is not limited even by harsh climatic conditions. One of the species Nysius groenlandicus lives in Greenland, Canada, Chukotka and Kamchatka. A characteristic feature of the order is the structure of the elytra of the imago. Their upper part is leathery, and the lower part is transparent, webbed.

Information. The international name of the detachment Heteroptera was proposed in 1810 by Pierre André Latrey.

Scientists divide the bedbug squad into 7 info teams:

1. Cimicomorpha - the largest, includes half of all existing species (20,000). It includes a family of bed bugs.
2. Dipsocoromorpha - small individuals up to 4 mm.
3. Enicocephalomorpha - bugs with an elongated head, similar to predators.
4. Gerromorpha - water striders, bed bugs living on the surface of water bodies.
5. Leptopodomorpha - 320 species up to 8 mm long.
6. Nepomorpha - water bugs (2100 species), spread worldwide, with the exception of Antarctica.
7. Pentatomomorpha is the most numerous group; shields belong to it.

Bed bugs, like other half-winged bugs, are insects with incomplete transformation. Fertilized females lay eggs from which larvae or nymphs emerge. Before puberty, they undergo 5 ages and 4 molt. From the age of 2-3, the offspring of wings appear in the offspring.

Among the 50 families of the order there are herbivorous, predatory and blood-sucking species. The following characteristics are characteristic of all half-winged animals:

• The presence of a durable chitinous shell that protects internal organs from external mechanical and chemical damage.
• The piercing-sucking structure of the mouth organs.
• Similar features of the body structure: 3 pairs of limbs, 2 pairs of wings (may be absent), scutellum.
• Odorous glands that scare away enemies and attract mating partners.

Most ground bugs have a dark or green protective color. But several species differ in bright red color in the outer cover. Such insects contain toxic substances in the body. Coloring signals this to birds of prey, reptiles and other predators. Herbivorous berry shields adapted to change the color of the cover by season.

According to the habitat of insects, two large groups are divided: land and water. Inhabitants of sushi mainly eat plant foods. Among phytophages, there are species that cause significant harm to household plots and agricultural land. They suck the plant sap, causing their deformation, growth retardation, and sometimes death.

Several families of bugs feed on small insects - caterpillars, aphids, beetle larvae.Predators are used as a biological method of pest control. Bedbugs of the genus Anthocoris exterminate ticks, Orius eat eggs of butterflies and thrips in greenhouses, blue shield bugs exterminate leaf beetles. Some species of Coleoptera chose an aquatic way of life, they are also predators.

Some species prefer to feed on the blood of humans and animals. These include the family of bed bugs (Cimicidae), a group of semi-rigid bugs, class insects. This small group of parasites includes 100 species. Representatives of the family are distributed around the world, they attack people, small mammals, bats, birds. The blood-sucking insect is known in all countries. Its appearance has not been associated with unsanitary conditions for a long time, the spread of bugs is promoted by climate change, mass migration, tourism.

Bedbug is an obligate synanthropic insect. His homeland is the Middle East. Neighborhood with humans began during the dwelling of people in caves. The ancient Greeks considered bug bites to be healing. The species came to America with settlers in the 16th century; in Europe it has been known since the 11th century.

Sizes of bugs

The smallest bugs have a size of about 1 mm, and the largest species reaches 15 cm in length. Giants of the Belostom live in fresh water. Synanthropic parasites are small in size. What size bugs depends on age and amount of food. Hungry adults with a length of 4.3-5 mm, after sucking up blood, they increase to 6.5-8.5 mm. Males are smaller. The natural color of the insect is from dark yellow to brown. After the blood is exhausted, the swollen body acquires a red tint. The flat form of the parasite is replaced by a spherical. Gradually, the color of the bug changes from scarlet to black. This occurs as a result of blood clotting.

The size of an egg of a bed bug is 0.8-1 mm. The female lays them in 5-12 pieces, gluing to the surface with a special secret. After 4-15 days (depending on temperature), nymphs of the first age appear. Their length is only 1 mm. After a week, molting occurs, the insect increases 2 times. Before reaching puberty, the larva will change 5 ages. The size of a home bug at the last stage is 4 mm. To carry out the next molt, the nymph must drink blood.

The structure of the bug

The body of the insect is divided into 3 parts: head, chest, abdomen. Each of them has appendages and organs. A feature of bugs is the presence of odorous glands. The ducts release a liquid with a pungent unpleasant odor. When crushing the body, it feels stronger. Glands are located on the underside of the chest, sometimes on the abdomen. The secretion is based on organic compounds - aldehydes. In their chemical composition, they are close to pheromones. For individuals of one species, smell is a source of information. They signal each other about danger or readiness for mating.

Information. In aquatic species and most predatory bugs, odorous glands are absent.

The structure of the nymph (larva), according to the main morphological characteristics, is similar to the imago. The offspring of a half-winged has a head with organs of vision and touch, a chest with six limbs, and an abdomen. Eyes are always absent. The odorous glands are developed, the nymph can protect itself from predators. Wings appear only after the final molt.

Internal systems

The bugs have a long and narrow esophagus, through the proboscis a liquid substrate enters it. The salivary glands are well developed. They help dissolve food. In predatory species, a gastric enzyme is injected into the body of the victim. For breathing, the trachea system is connected to the holes (spiracles) on the abdomen. Aquatic species have special breathing tubes located at the end of the abdomen.

The external structure of the bug

The body of adults is covered with a chitinous layer and a large number of hairs. On the head are the organs of touch - tendrils. Appendages consist of segments, the number of segments depending on the species is 3-5 pieces. The eyes are convex, complex in structure.The organ of vision of the facet type is located on the sides of the head. It consists of many structural units of ommatidia. Some species have simple eyes; in parasites, they are reduced.

In the front of the head there is a proboscis used to puncture and absorb food. The chest is divided into 3 segments:

• prothorax;
• mid chest;
• hind chest;

On the upper side of the body, these segments are called adding the ending “back”. On each part there is one pair of running legs. Their structure is characteristic of insects, the limbs consist of 5 parts: basin, trochanter, thigh, drumstick, foot. There are no special devices for clinging to the legs of parasites, but their structure provides a high speed of movement. In aquatic species, the forelimbs have become shorter and stronger. They are used to hold prey. Hind legs lengthened and covered with hairs. This structure makes it easy to move in water.

Information. For a large family of insects, an important part of the external structure is the visor. The chitin plate is located between the elytra. It begins behind the pronotum and can reach the apex of the abdomen.

The third segment of the chest contains odorous glands. In case of danger, an oily liquid with a characteristic odor is released. The aroma of wood shields is especially unpleasant. He was nicknamed the stink bug. The abdomen of insects is segmented, each part consists of two half rings - the upper tergite and the lower sternite. On the abdomen are the genital and excretory organs, 4-5 pairs of spiracles.

The structure of the bed bug (Cimex lectularius) is associated with the conditions of its existence. Due to the parasitic lifestyle, insects lost wings. On the mid back, in the place where the elytra were, two small plates remained. The abdomen is segmented; at its end, the sex of domestic bugs is determined. In males, the margin is asymmetric, on the left side there is a copulative organ. In females, the abdomen is round, the vaginal gap is located on the seventh segment. The structure of the larva is similar to the imago, but the offspring has fewer segments of the legs and antennae. The eggs are white, after the maturation of the embryos acquire a yellow tint. The shape is curved, with a cap on top.

Characteristics of bedbugs

Most insects are small or medium in size. The structure of the wings differs in the types of bugs. There are 4 forms:

1. The anterior pair or elytra is half covered with durable chitin, the rest is webbed. The hind pair represents the developed wings.
2. Elytra dense, shortened, wings reduced - an example is a bug soldier.
3. The long developed elytra without wings is a male of a pine sub-root bug.
4. Complete reduction of the flying organs - bed bug.

Differences in the structure and length of the organ are revealed even in representatives of the same species, when only a male or female is winged. Among insects capable of flying tens of kilometers, not only phytophages, but also aquatic species. They have preserved wings and use them to search for new habitats.

Females are often larger than males. The life expectancy of bedbugs depends on the species. It ranges from several months to a year. Domestic insects reach the age of 10-14 months, at low temperatures they develop more slowly and live longer.

The body shape of insects depends on lifestyle and living conditions:

• parasites (bed bugs) - flat, individuals are adapted to penetrate narrow crevices;
• inhabitants of the soil and desert species - spherical;
• predators and other species - rod-shaped;
• pests of plants - oval, tortoise.

Information. Bed bugs can do without food, falling into a state of suspended animation. At low temperatures, the hunger strike increases.

Bed bugs

Representatives of the order Semi-winged are called arthropods. The main symptom of bedbugs is the piercing-sucking type of the oral apparatus. It is typical for insects that consume only liquid food.Phytophages suck cell sap, predators suck nutrient fluid from prey, and ectoparasites blood. In a piercing-sucking modification, the lower lip turned into a tube called the proboscis. The upper jaw (mandibles) and the lower jaw (maxilla) lengthened to two thin needles. These are the bristles with which a puncture is carried out. The proboscis has a joint structure. In a calm state, he retracts into a special recess on his chest.

The mouth apparatus of the bed bug has 2 channels, saliva is fed through the lower to the puncture site, and food is sucked through the upper. The nutrition of parasites is as follows: a bug with jagged mandibles clings to the skin and pierces it with bristles, pushing them to a blood vessel. An anesthetic is injected through the salivary canal, which does not allow a person to feel a bite. To complete saturation, they need about 7 ml of blood. During the night, several punctures appear on the human body, the bug is looking for a convenient place to eat.

Information. After saturation, the parasite becomes more noticeable, and the spherical shape makes it vulnerable to mechanical stress.

A common characteristic of all bugs is the same device of the oral apparatus. But at the same time, the structure of the proboscis depends on the type of food absorbed. In phytophages feeding on plant sap, the organ is long and weak. Predators are distinguished by a shorter and more powerful proboscis, resembling an arc in shape. In blood-sucking parasites, the proboscis is provided with sharp setae. Saliva contains anticoagulants and anesthetics. Bites of domestic bugs lead to an allergic reaction in the form of itching and redness, but insects rarely tolerate diseases.

Bedbug lifestyle

Insects living in natural conditions adapt to the climatic conditions of the regions. In winter, bedbugs have to hibernate. This behavior is characteristic of all species - phytophages, predators, aquatic inhabitants. Insects are looking for a convenient place where they hide from enemies and frost. Forest bugs climb under the bark of trees or in the litter of leaves. Winter is spent in a state of suspended animation. With a strong decrease in temperature, the bugs die. Agrarian cold weather eliminates the invasion of pests. In some species, not adults, but eggs hibernate.

An increase in temperature removes insects from sleep, it activates at + 10-12 °. Phytophages are sent to feed the appeared greens. Then they begin to multiply. Female lays eggs on leaves, substrate. After 1-1.5 months, a new generation appears. Under favorable conditions, insects give 2-3 generations. The way of life of predatory species is quite secretive. In the daytime, they hide in the grass, under the leaves. Active at night, some hunt from ambush. The main prey is small insects - aphids, ticks, various larvae.

Representatives of the half-winged animals took root on land and in water, but some of them settled in the human dwelling. They can be active at any time, but have adapted to the biological rhythm of the hosts. At night, when the victims are sleeping, they are easier to bite. In the daytime, bed bugs hide in the depths of upholstered furniture, cracks, behind paintings. The presence of parasites is not immediately noted. They are difficult to notice, and the resulting bites are attributed to mosquitoes.

Information. Synanthropic parasites are called bed, home, furniture bugs, but we are talking about one type of insect.

The spread of parasites is facilitated by several factors:

• high fecundity;
• ability to tolerate hunger;
• tendency to active movement.

The colony accumulates in one place, close to a food source. This is usually a bed or other upholstered furniture. Bedbug sucks blood every 5-10 days. The reaction to his bites depends on the individual susceptibility of the person. It can be skin irritation, rash, itching. Restless sleep leads to the accumulation of fatigue, nervous fatigue occurs, and performance decreases.The speed of movement of an adult is 1 m per minute, but they are capable of moving between apartments.

Domestic bugs are temperature sensitive, at 10 ° they stop reproduction. A comfortable indicator for ectoparasites is 24-30 °. Heat kills them faster than cold. This situation is explained by the ability to fall into suspended animation when the temperature drops to minus marks. Only severe frost of 17-21 ° is able to kill them. A critical positive temperature is 45 °. Domestic bugs are indifferent to animals; they attack cats and dogs, even if they are hungry.

Common types of bugs that people often encounter are plant pests or ectoparasites. In addition to them, there are much more insects that live peacefully next to humans.