196 



THE BED-BUG. 



THE BED-BUG. 



{Acantlda lectularia Linn.). 



Some persons claim that they have never seen these 

 parasites; this means that they have either been very for- 

 tunate, or that they did not use their eyes or their nose, as 

 bed-bugs are found wherever man has made a home for him- 

 self. It is a mooted point whence they came originally, but 

 this, although interesting, makes but little difference at 

 present, as they are now everywhere. 



The illustration (fig. 159) shows how this nasty insect 

 looks. We see that, being a parasite, and no longer leading 



Fig. 159. — Bed-bug. Greatly enlarged. Original. 



a rambling existence like other bugs, but being a sort of 

 domesticated animal, it has lost the wings, these being no 

 longer required, and it possesses simply rudiments of them. 

 These are indicated in the illustration, and look like a little 

 chitinous flap on each side of the thorax. The adult bugs, as 

 well as the younger ones, are w^ell adapted to enter narrow 

 cracks, having a very flattened shape, and in such shelters 

 they hide during the day, being active only at night. They 

 deposit during spring about fifty white and oval eggs, 

 1.12mm. long, and similar to those shown in fig. 161, in the 



