Common bed bug
Cimex lectularius
Overview
Common bed bug in Georgia
The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is a blood-feeding insect in the family Cimicidae. Adults are roughly 5–7 mm long, wingless and flattened before feeding. Their bites may itch, but they are not considered effective vectors of human disease. Georgia has confirmed specimens. A 2023 study reported bugs collected on 30 May 2022 at Gremi Church in Kvareli Municipality and at a church near Pichkhovani village. Both sites were associated with bat colonies in old buildings. These records cannot establish how common bed bugs are in Georgian homes. The study also cites older literature for human-associated occurrence in Georgia without mapping household prevalence.
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Identification
How to identify Common bed bug
An adult has six legs, two antennae and a brown, visibly segmented abdomen. It is flat before feeding and becomes darker and swollen after a blood meal. A bite pattern cannot identify the insect.
Adults are usually 5–7 mm long and do not fly. Small nymphs are pale yellow or whitish and can be hard to see; pale eggs are about 1 mm long.
Search mattress seams, bed-frame joints and nearby cracks for the insect or physical signs such as dark spots, shed skins and eggs. Skin marks alone are unreliable.
The brown marmorated stink bug is larger, shield-shaped and feeds on plants rather than human blood. Adult ticks have eight legs; bed bugs have six. Close relatives in Cimicidae can look very similar, so species-level identification may require an expert.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
Human-associated bed bugs generally hide close to places where people sleep or rest: mattress seams, bed frames, headboards, furniture joints and cracks. This is general biology, not a Georgian household survey. The published Georgian specimens came from two old churches with bat colonies. The researchers searched caves as well but found no bed bugs there. Available evidence does not establish an elevation range or a household distribution map for Georgia.
Diet
Adults and all nymphal stages feed on the blood of warm-blooded hosts. Human-associated populations commonly feed on sleeping people; other mammals and birds can also be hosts. The Georgian specimens were associated with bat colonies, though the precise bat host at Gremi remains unresolved.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Common bed bug.
Yes. A 2023 paper documents specimens collected in 2022 at Gremi and near Pichkhovani, both in association with bat colonies.
It is about 5–7 mm long, oval and flat before feeding.
Look for insects, eggs, shed skins and dark spots in mattress and bed-frame crevices. Bites alone are not proof.
Mostly at night, though they may also emerge in daylight. A seasonal calendar specific to Georgia has not been established.
They are not considered effective vectors of human disease, but bites can itch, disturb sleep and occasionally cause allergic reactions.
Adults do not have functional wings and cannot fly; they crawl and do not jump like fleas.
No. They can occur in well-kept places; cleanliness does not rule them out.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Ghazarayan et al. 2023 — საქართველოში ღამურებთან დაკავშირებული Cimex lectularius-ის ჩანაწერები
- GBIF / Catalogue of Life — Cimex lectularius-ის მიღებული სახელი და სინონიმი
- CDC DPDx — Bed Bugs, ტაქსონომია და სამედიცინო მნიშვნელობა
- US EPA — Bed Bugs Appearance and Life Cycle
- US EPA — How to Find Bed Bugs
- CDC — About Bed Bugs
- CDC — Tick Life Cycles, ზრდასრული ტკიპის ფეხების რაოდენობა
- US EPA — Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, ფორმა და კვება
- ეროვნული ბიბლიოთეკა — სავეტერინარო პარაზიტოლოგიის ტერმინთა ლექსიკონი
- პარაზიტოლოგიის ინსტიტუტი — საწოლის ბაღლინჯო
- Wikimedia Commons — Cimex lectularius-ის ფოტო, CDC/WHO
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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