A Bedbugs bite

This is a close up look at any homeowner s nightmare: A bedbug. These reddish brown bugs, each the size of an apple seed, are tough to eliminate once they take hold in the linens. Bedbugs were once virtually wiped out in the United States, but international travelers have carried them back to U.S. soil. This scanning electron microscope photograph of a bedbug s head reveals its mouthparts, which are used to pierce the skin and suck the blood of its victims. While some people have no reaction to bedbug bites, others experience itchy clusters of hives.