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 within 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 will 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 six 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 to finish, the egg will go from being a small egg to being a full grown adult in as little as 21 days.
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 days for the maturity of a bed bug to actually happen.
Food
From the time that the egg hatches, the main goal of the nymph will be to find food. It needs a blood meal in order to grow and to receive 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. This is dependant upon on how much food they receive.
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.
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