Bed Bug Life Cycle

Bed Bug Life Cycle is the life cycle of small, flat, oval-shaped, reddish-brown bed bugs which most of us have found in our homes. Many people may have discovered bed bugs in their mattresses or beddings and have thought of several ways to get rid of them. They are approximately the same size as that of an apple seed and make their home in unclean mattresses. To get rid of them effectively one needs to have a sound knowledge of their life cycle.

Key Takeaways: Bed bugs, Eggs, Cimicidae, Nymph, Life cycle

About Bed Bugs

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Bed Bugs have the best survival instinct due to which they are also called the “Bugs Without Borders''. They require humans to be in contiguity for feeding as they require human blood. The bed bugs biologically fall under the superfamily of Cimicidae and the order Heteroptera. Bed Bugs require warm-blooded animals as their food and for survival. The scientific name of Bed Bugs that live in the furniture, cracked floor, and the bed is Cimex lectularius.

Bed Bug

Life Cycle of Bed Bugs

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There are seven stages to the life cycle of a bed bug, from its birth to maturity stage which are as follows. 

1. Egg Stage

It is the initial stage of the life cycle of a bed bug. Eggs are laid by a female bed bug who is supposed to lay around 250-300 eggs in their whole life and about 1-12 eggs per day. These eggs are in a grainy structure and a pearl white color. The length of these eggs is nearly 1 mm and can be seen with the naked eye. An enlarged bed bug has red dots as its develops eyespots. These eggs are laid in between the cracks of the floors in a cluster form. After two weeks, these eggs start to hatch at a temperature greater than 70? Fahrenheit. Although, this hatching time can be increased by decreasing the temperature to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. 1st Nymph Stage

In the 1st Nymph Stage, the length of the nymph becomes 1.5 mm. These nymphs start feeding as soon as they are hatched. Although, they cannot breed as they are not grown-up bugs.

3. 2nd Nymph Stage

After the 1st nymph, they come to the 2nd nymph stage where the length of the nymph is around 2 mm.

4. 3rd Nymph Stage

As the molting process is still going on, they come to the 3rd stage of a nymph with a length of 2.5 mm.

4. 4th Nymph Stage

In the 4th nymph stage, the length of the nymph is 3 mm.

5. 5th Nymph Stage

It is termed as the final stage of the nymph where they are around 4.5 mm in length.

6. Adult

All this process takes a time of 5 weeks when they finally turn into an adult. As they are adults now, they can participate in the process of breeding. They are not in a compulsion to feed every night. These bug bites are not noticeable by many people as they do not react to them. These adult bed bugs can live for around 6-18 months. 

Life Cycle of a Bed Bug

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Things to Remember

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1. The bed bugs are scientifically called Cimex Lectularius and are a part of the Cimicidae superfamily and Heteroptera order.
2. There are seven stages in the life cycle of bed bugs.
3. These seven stages are egg, 1st Nymph Stage, 2nd Nymph Stage, 3rd Nymph Stage, 4th Nymph Stage, 5th Nymph Stage, and adult.
4. The length of the bed bugs changes in every nymph stage.
5. The initial length of bed bug in the 1st nymph stage is 1.5 mm while at the 5th nymph stage it is 4.5 mm in length, varying in every stage.
6. Bed Bugs don’t breed until they turn adults.
7. In the adult stage, the bed bugs don't need to feed every day and they can live up to 18 months.

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