Zoology: Invertebrates

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bedbug

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

bedbug any of the small, blood-sucking bugs of the family Cimicidae, which includes about 30 species distributed throughout the world. Bedbugs are flat-bodied, oval, reddish brown, and about 1/4 in. (6 mm) long. They emit an unpleasant-smelling oily secretion from two glands on their undersurface. All are parasites of warm-blooded animals. The common human bedbug of temperate regions, Cimex lectularis, is largely nocturnal, spending the day in crevices in walls and furniture and in bedding. Its bite causes irritation in many individuals, but it is not known to transmit diseases. It will feed on other mammals and poultry when humans are not available and can live up to a year without feeding. Maturation from egg to adult takes about two months in warm conditions; there may be three or four generations a year. Control methods include steaming, spraying, and fumigating. Another parasite of humans, C. hemipterus, is common in the Old World tropics. A North American species, Haematosiphon inodora, parasitizing poultry, will also bite humans. Other species attack bats and various kinds of bird. Bedbugs are classified in the phylum Arthropoda , class Insecta, order Hemiptera, family Cimicidae.

Bibliography: See publications of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

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bedbug

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

bedbug Broad, flat, wingless insect found worldwide. It feeds by sucking blood from mammals, including human beings. Bedbugs usually gorge themselves at night and remain hidden during the day. Length: to 6mm (0.25in). Family Cimicidae; species Cimex lectularius.

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bedbug

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

bed·bug / ˈbedˌbəg/ • n. a bloodsucking insect (family Cimicidae, Cimex and other genera) that is a parasite of birds and mammals, some species of which feed mainly on humans.

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"bedbug." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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bedbug

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | | Copyright

bedbug (Cimex lectularius) See CIMICIDAE.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "bedbug." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "bedbug." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-bedbug.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "bedbug." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-bedbug.html

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bedbug

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

bedbug •bug, chug, Doug, drug, dug, fug, glug, hug, jug, lug, mug, plug, pug, rug, shrug, slug, smug, snug, thug, trug, tug •bedbug • ladybug • doodlebug •humbug • firebug • thunderbug •jitterbug, litterbug •shutterbug • Rawlplug • earplug •fireplug • hearthrug

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Bedbugs Continue to Menace Homes, Businesses; Have People Searching for... News Wire article from: Business Wire; 9/22/2010
	Bedbugs bite the Big Apple.(Forefront) Magazine article from: Risk Management; 10/1/2010
	Bedbugs! Just Try to Sleep Tight. The Bedbugs Are Back. They're tiny, evil... Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 3/3/2008