The signs left by the bites are the same as in the case of people and cause identical symptoms (skin irritation, scratching etc.). Bed bugs can infest poultry sheds and cause anemia and a decrease in egg production in hens. Insect
Bed bug infestations are primarily the result of two species of insects from genus Cimex: Cimex lectularius (the common bed bug) and Cimex hemipterus (the tropical bed bug). These insects feed exclusively on blood and, at any stage of development, may survive up to 70 days without feeding. Adult Cimex are light brown to reddish-brown, flat, oval, and have no hind wings. The front wings are vestigial and reduced to pad-like structures. Adults grow to 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) wide. Female common bed bugs can lay 1–10 eggs per day and 200–500 eggs in their lifetime, whereas female tropical bed bugs can lay about 50 eggs in their lifetime .Bed bugs have five immature nymph life stages and a final sexually mature adult stage. Bed bugs need at least one blood meal in order to advance to the next stage of development. They shed their skins through ecdysis at each stage, discarding their outer exoskeleton. Newly hatched nymphs are translucent, lighter in color, and become browner as they moult and reach maturity.
References
External links

Bed bug on the University of Florida/IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
National Geographic segment on Bed bugs on YouTube
Bed bugs – University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital Department of Medical Entomology
Understanding and Controlling Bed Bugs – National Pesticide Information Center
CISR: Center for Invasive Species Research More information on Bed Bugs, with many photos and video
EPA bedbugs information page
A Code of Practice for the Control of Bed Bugs in Australia, ICPMR & AEPMA, Sydney Australia, September 2011. ISBN 1-74080-135-0. "Bed Bug Home Page". Bedbug.org.au. 14 October 2005. Retrieved 11 November 2013.