• Outdoor, garden species: they have a brighter color (deep blue, green, red-black, yellow), there are also less colorful creatures (with light brown or gray outer covers), such pests use the bright color as a signal, warning of danger;
• bloodsuckers that live in birds' nests, near animals or in people's homes: they do not need bright colors either, as their main goal is to get close to the potential victim to get a portion of blood.

Bed bugs look different.

Some differences between them can be seen under a microscope if the features of smaller individuals (body length less than 1 mm) are studied. To make it easier to recognize pests at home or on the property in the future, you should learn what members of the suborder of bed bugs look like in close-up:

• body length varies from a few millimeters to 15-18 cm, the largest individuals live in tropical climates, small and medium insects are most often herbivorous, among them there are also bloodsuckers (body length 5-8 mm);
• number of paws - 6, for comparison, mites and other spiders have 8 limbs, this feature alone will help to recognize the pest on the site;
• 1 pair of antennae - they are characterized by sensitivity, which allows the insects to move around in search of food;
• Visual organs may be absent, but many bed bugs still have them, used as an auxiliary means of orientation in space;
• The body is flattened, which allows bed bugs to move through the narrowest areas, hide in crevices, remain undetected for a long time, and successfully overwinter, keeping warm;
• limbs and antennae are polychronoid;
• The body of representatives of some species is segmented (e.g., bedworms), others have a thin bridge (the name of one such species is the pear laceworm), due to which the insect is mistaken for a representative of another species;
• oral apparatus of stabbing-sucking type (all individuals of suborder of bugs), which does not prevent parasites and predators to fully feed: they pierce the outer covers of the proboscis, introduce special substances that facilitate the process of obtaining food, for example, blood suckers ensure delivery to the place of food substances with anesthetic, anticoagulant properties, and predators contribute to liquefying of tissue of their victims, then they suck the resulting juice;
• Many varieties have wings, which helps them migrate long distances, the smaller bugs (microscopic plant-eating) move in the wind, in comparison, domestic (apartment) specimens do not have wings (they are reduced for lack of need, as pests are constantly in the house).

Baby bugs resemble adult pests in many ways.

They have all the characteristic features: limbs, antennae, body shape, mouth apparatus. A number of differences are noted:

• body size;
• color;
• Some functions are missing, but in external comparison this is not noticeable.

The parasites differ in appearance at different stages of development. Eggs in most cases are small: 1 to 1.5 mm, but there is a hole on one side, because the young leave the shell through it. The color is always different, depending on the species of bed bug.

For example, many varieties have milky colored eggs, while garden eggs are green (in some cases).

The hue changes closer to the emergence of larvae. Most often it becomes more pronounced. Young specimens are usually lighter in color. First instar larvae (those that have just emerged and eggs) do not exceed 1 mm in length and are characterized by transparent white outer covers.

At each successive stage, the individuals grow by 0.5-1 mm.

At the same time, the coloration also changes, aided by regular molting, in which young bed bugs shed their chitinous shells and a new one soon develops. The nymph (last instar larva, which soon becomes an imago) looks more like a mature pest. It may be lighter in color, but in terms of body parameters it is an almost fully developed individual.