The Life Cycle Of The Bed Bug

Like all animals, the life cycle of the bed bug is a very normal thing. They are born, grow
and live. But, as those that are trying to get rid of a bed beg will tell you, it is very
important for you to have an understanding of what this lifecycle is so that you can better
handle your infestation problem.

It is unlikely that you will actually learn when your first infestation happened . This is unless
you know exactly where they came from . But, if you assume the time frame from which the
first infestation came, you can get a better idea of just how potentially large your infestation
actually is.

Size Matters?

When it comes to learning the size of the infestation that you have, you will want to try to
get an estimate. This will help you to get a good handle on what exactly you can do about
it. While It may upset you to learn how large your infestation really is, knowing can be the
first step to getting rid of them .

Why The Lifecycle Matters

We are going to touch on the basics of the life cycle of the bed bug. We do this so that you
have a better understanding of where they are withi n your home . By taking the time to
learn where the bed bugs are in their cycle, you can provide the appropriate treatment to
get rid of them .

The Life Cycle Of The Bed Bug: Broken Down

The female bed bug is the main focus from the start . She will lay up to twelve eggs per
day! While it may only be one egg, it can be as many as a dozen

She will place these eggs in a specific location and generally it wi ll have the same
characteristics. It is usually a rough type of surface . Or, she may place them into a small
crack or groove that she finds.

She can place them on any rough surface because of the coating that is on them. It is
sticky and will pretty much stick to anything.

It can take from si x days to seventeen days for the eggs to hatch.

The baby bed bugs are called nymphs. Their first order of business is to feed . In fact, they
are able to feed from a host right after being hatched.

They need to find their first meal quickly as this blood meal is needed for their development.
They will molt after their first blood meal.

They will go through a total of five cycles of molting before they will reach their adult size.

In most cases, from start t o fin ish, the egg will go from being a small egg to being a full
grown adult in as little as 21 da ys.

Temperature Matters

One thing to take note of when looking at the life cycle of a bed bug is the temperature in
the area. In order for the egg to hatch, the nymph to molt and for the bed bug to grow, the
right temperature must be met. This temperature needs to be between 65 degrees and 86
degrees.

If the temperature is not met, the maturity of the bed bug is usually delayed. If the
temperature is at 86 degrees, the bed bug will mature in about 21 days. If the temperature
is that of close to 65 degrees, it can take as long as 120 da ys for the maturity of a bed bug
to actually happen.

Food

From the time that the egg hatches, the ma in goal of the nymph will be to find food . It
needs a blood meal in order to grow and to recei ve its first molting session. From the time
it hatches until it reaches adulthood, it needs to molt at least 5 times. Yet, it can not do
this without the right amount of food.

Again, this period of nymph will likely be elongated if there is not enough food to provide
the necessary growth and molting periods for the bed bug . The time that it takes for the
nymph to reach maturity has a direct relation to the amount of food that it has.

How Long They Live

Unfortunately for the human population, the bed bug is likely to make it through its nymph
period and into adulthood.

One reason for this is as simple as the fact that they can live several months without eating
any food at all. While they like to feed every five to ten days, they can survive several
months without any food whatsoever.

Once they reach their adulthood, the female bed bug will begin to reproduce.

Once they reach their adult life, the bed bug is likely to live between a year to a year and a
half. Th is is dependant upon on how much food they recei ve.

Finally, the bed bug can produce eggs at least three times per year. More often is also common.

when you factor these things together, you can see just how large an infestation can be when it has just occurred only a few months before.