bedbug [AS, bedd + ME, bugge, hobgoblin] , a blood-sucking wingless arthropod of the species Cimex lectularius or the species C. hemipterus that feeds on humans and other animals. Bedbugs are most active at night. The bedbug can be removed from the skin after covering it with petrolatum. The bite, which causes itching, pain, swelling, and redness, can be treated with a lotion or cream containing a corticosteroid or other topical antiinflammatory or analgesic preparation. Infestations of the areas harboring the bedbugs must be treated.
