Bed Bug Photos
American Museum of Natural History Entomologist and Senior Scientific Assistant Louis Sorkin has shared the following photos and videos with us, to better illustrate the relative sizes of bed bugs, waste and exuviae (cast skins). To see more of Lou’s great photos you can visit his Flickr photostream.
Bed Bug Feeding
Bed Bug Nymph - Prior to Feeding
Bed Bug Nymph - beginning to feed
Bed Bug Nymph - Beginning Feeding
Bed Bug Nymph - Several minutes into feeding
Bed Bug Nymph - nearing end of feeding session, preparing to stop/hide. body bloated with blood
Bed Bug Nymph - Feeding from Front
Bed Bug Nymph - Feeding from Rear
Bed Bug Bites
All descriptions below phots are written/provided by Lou Sorkin himself.
Bed Bug Nymph feeding on finger (actual size)
First instar bed bug nymphs -Feeding
Inverted a small vial (note indentations in skin) of first instar nymphs on my hand, on the birthmark. These have been feeding less than one minute. They feed quickly in this area. Online definition of nevus flammeus: A port-wine stain is a vascular birthmark consisting of superficial and deep dilated capillaries in the skin which produce a reddish to purplish discolouration of the skin. LS
- Various stage bed bug nymphs feeding
Inverted a vial (note indentations in skin) of bed bug nymphs on the birthmark of my hand. Note some shed skins. Bed bugs had only been feeding a minute or so. They feed quickly in this area. Online definition of nevus flammeus: A port-wine stain is a vascular birthmark consisting of superficial and deep dilated capillaries in the skin which produce a reddish to purplish discolouration of the skin. LS
BB BItes are still visible hours after feeding
Bed bugs will crawl along hairs and crawl down to skin surface to feed. Hours after bed bug feeding, red marks appear at site of each bite. Welts had preceded the red marks but first disappear. Red marks severity lessens with age and in a week are gone. Microscopic brownish areas remain but are very difficult to clearly see.
Bed Bug (Identifiers)
Recently mated Bed Bug Female with three eggs
The male crawls around and stays in various places, but usually in the same places. The female remains more or less where she first began in the box and now has deposited an additional egg. You only need one, mated female bed bug to begin an infestation and new population. You witness here that the female just arrives and more or less remains in one place having fed and mated days before. 1/4 inch squares. LS
Recently mated bed bugs (male & female) with several new eggs
Female now deposited “typical” dark fecal matter that many people call undigested blood, but it has been digested and voided. If it were undigested blood, how would the bugs obtain any nourishment from their blood meals? Male had crawled over and displaced her, but she was in same position as in first picture before I was able to take this shot. A second egg has been deposited on far right. Note first egg is much more elongate and narrow than second one (“normal” shaped egg). Narrow egg may be infertile. 1/4 inch squares. LS
2nd and 3rd Instar Bed Bugs in Colony
Front face of 1/4 inch square graph paper. (not same paper as Images 3 & 4). Originally 1st instar bed bug nymphs had been in vial. Fed and let them grow to 2nd instar. There’s a 3rd instar, too. Notice how small the fecal (dark) and nitrogenous (pale) wastes are. Also some smears. Turn paper around for Image 2.
2nd and 3rd instar bed bug colony
Rear face of 1/4 inch square graph paper (not same paper as Images 3 & 4). Originally 1st instar bed bug nymphs had been in vial. Fed and let them grow to 2nd instar. There’s a 3rd instar, too, and one 1st instar under the pile near lower area of paper in white plastic cap. Notice how small the fecal (dark) and nitrogenous (pale) wastes are. Also some smears. See front side of paper on Image 1.
1st, 2nd and 3rd Instar Bed bug Nymphs - Colony
Front face of 1/4 inch graph paper (not same paper as Images 1 & 2). Originally had been 1st-5th instar nymphs plus adult stage of common bed bug. Removed 4th & 5th instar nymphs and adults. Note fecal and nitrogenous waste marks plus a few eggs. Paper absorbed some waste and have become blotches. Also some smears. See shed skins of various instars. See relative sizes of nymphs to 1/4 inch squares. See reverse side on Image 4.
Image 4- 1st, 2nd, 3rd instar bed bug nymphs
Rear face of 1/4 inch graph paper (not same paper as Images 1 & 2). Originally had been 1st-5th instar nymphs plus adult stage of common bed bug. Removed 4th & 5th instar nymphs and adults. Note fecal and nitrogenous waste marks plus a few eggs. Paper absorbed some waste forming blotches. Also some smears. See shed skins of various instars. See relative sizes of nymphs to 1/4 inch squares. See front side on Image 3.
Here is an excellent video of Lou and his amazing bed bug population (maintained/fed for his research efforts) from the AMNH:
Permissions: All photographs used by permission from Louis Sorkin, photographer.
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