Bed Bug Lifecycle
Bed Bug Lifecycle
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus) are insects that feed exclusively on blood. They are named for their preferred habitat: human homes, specifically near or inside beds and bedding. Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown, flat, oval, and wingless.
They are usually about 4 to 5 mm long. Bed bugs have segmented abdomens with microscopic hairs that give them a banded appearance. They also have a beaklike piercing-sucking mouthpart system. The life cycle of a bed bug involves multiple stages: from egg to several nymph stages, and then the adult stage.
Egg
Female bed bugs lay between one and five eggs each day and may lie up to 500 eggs within one lifetime. Eggs are laid singly or in clusters and are placed within tight cracks or crevices. The egg is white and about 1 mm in length. Eggs typically hatch in about 10 days at room temperature.
Nymph (1st stage)
2nd stage
After the first blood meal, the nymph molts and enters the second stage, becoming slightly larger (about 2 mm long) and a little darker. Like all nymph stages, the 2nd stage nymph requires a blood meal to molt to the next stage.
3rd Stage
4th Stage
After another blood meal and molting process, the bed bug becomes a fourth stage nymph (about 3 mm long).
Adult Unfed
Once the fifth stage nymph feeds, it molts into an adult. Adult bed bugs are about 5-7 mm long, brown, and wingless. When viewed from above, their body appears oval, but when viewed from the side, bed bugs appear flat.
Adult Fed with Blood Meal
After feeding, adult bed bugs become larger, elongated, and a deep red color. They may increase in size nearly twofold after a full blood meal. The female bed bugs can lay more eggs after each feeding.
It’s worth noting that the duration of each stage can vary depending on the temperature and the availability of food (blood). The entire lifecycle from egg to adult can range from 5 weeks to 4 months.
Adult bed bugs can live up to a year under optimal conditions (with regular feeding and optimal temperature). They are capable of surviving long periods without a blood meal, making them especially resilient pests.
