What are bed bugs

A bed bug is what is called a blood-feeding ectoparasite, which means its only source of food is our blood, says Kenneth Haynes, PhD, a professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky who specializes in bed bug biology. That need for our blood is why bed bugs are often found exactly where their name implies: our beds. “They like to live near the host, meaning in our bedrooms, near our beds—as close as they can get to where we sleep as is possible,” says Haynes.