Bed Bugs Cimex lectularius

Adult Bed Bugs are ¼ inch in length, about as wide as they are long and dark brown in color. The females will lay around 500 eggs over the course of their lifetime – approximately one year. Bed bugs can survive without food and need to only feed five times over the course of their development in order to breed. Bed bug bites are unique in their appearance and pattern. They almost always appear in multiples, and the bites are usually found in a very straight line across the skin. Another indication of their presence is dark blood spots on the sheets or mattresses. Sanitation and hygiene have nothing to do with the proliferation of this insect. Excessive clutter, however, will provide unlimited hiding areas for them. (Bedbug image from http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2105.html)