One of the most prevalent pests in homes, hotels, and apartments is bed bugs. They are tiny, oval-shaped, flat insects that live off of human blood. All regions have these pests, but warm seasons like the summer are particularly bad. Although bed bug cycles differ widely, it takes seven weeks for eggs to hatch into larvae and develop into adults.
Understanding The Bed Bug Cycle
Understanding the bed bug cycle is crucial for successful eradication. It is important to know how long you have before the eggs hatch. This will help you identify infestations and avoid unnecessary pesticide use.
The bed bug life cycle consists of four stages: egg, nymph (maggot), adult, and old age. The nymphs are first born from an egg and begin feeding on blood within three days after hatching. After about four weeks they reach adulthood and can reproduce by their third stage of life.
How Long Does The Bed Bug Cycle Last?
You may have heard that bed bugs can live for up to a year and are hard to kill. This is true, but not entirely accurate. A female lays eggs every week and then nymphs hatch from those eggs in about seven days. Nymphs feed on blood as they develop into reproductively mature adults after another month or two.
Bed Bug Cycle Length
The bed bug life cycle is about 12-18 months and dependent on how long the adult female can survive without feeding. Females will lay eggs every two weeks during this time period. The eggs will hatch into larvae that feed on human blood for approximately four days (the average time between meals). After three instars of development, each larva pupates in its cocoon and emerges as an adult bug in 10 days. However, they may be able to live up to a year without a blood meal if they do not feed during their first year of life.
Bed Bug Eggs Are Laid In Clusters
Bed Bug Eggs Are Laid In Clusters Of 10-50, Usually On A Host Material. They Hatch After 7-10 Days And The Larvae Can Be Found Feeding On Their Mother’s Blood For About 3 Weeks Before They Molt Into A Nymph. Nymphs Are Typically Brownish In Color, But Can Also Have White Markings Or Even Red Spots On Them Caused By Pigments Found In Fungal Spores. Nymphs May Also Have Long Curved Appendages That Allow Them To Grasp Objects Such As Doorknobs Or Furniture Legs When They Crawl Around Looking For A Place To Hide During Daylight Hours.
The life cycle of bed bugs includes four stages: egg, larva (or “bug”), nymph, and adult. The last three stages will feed on blood; however it takes more than two months after the initial infestation before an adult female finds her way out from hiding and begins laying new eggs again!
What causes bed bugs to hatch?
Bed bugs are sensitive to temperature and time. They will not hatch if the room is too cold or too hot, or if you leave for too long a period of time (more than four hours) without a heat source. Bedbugs need food sources in order to reproduce, so check your house for signs of recent infestations by inspecting all the furniture, mattresses, and boxes you have stored away from view. If you find any bedbugs in these places it’s likely that they came from somewhere else on your property – this could be another apartment building or even someone else’s home!
Number Of Eggs Laid By A Female
The Total Number Of Eggs Laid By A Female Over Her Life Depends On Several Factors. The First Factor Is How Many Times She Mates And How Long Each Mating Lasts. Females Are Born As Larvae And Then Develop Into Adults After Two Or Three Weeks. After Mating, The Female Lays About 100 Eggs Per Day For About Five Days (Or Until She Dies).
In the average home in which there are no bed bug problems, only one-bed bug will be present at any given time. However, this may not be true if there are many other sources for infestation. These may be from mattresses and upholstered furniture where these pests can hide during their day-to-day activities or travel between rooms after feeding on an unsuspecting human who is sleeping near them when they leave their hiding place to go out into public areas such as restaurants, etc.
Bed Bug Eggs Vs Flea Eggs
You may wonder why a bed bug’s eggs are different from flea eggs. The answer is that the female bed bug is able to lay up to 10 eggs at once. Meanwhile, a female flea can only lay one egg at a time. Bed bugs also have an average lifespan of around 9 months while fleas live just 2 weeks on average. Fleas tend to be brown in color and have rounder bodies than their cousins. But you should still be able to tell them apart if you look closely enough!
The only way for you to stay safe from bed bug bites is to first learn about their behavior. Are you suspecting that there are bed bug infestations happening in your place? Know what you are up against.
Bed bugs are truly a nuisance and hard to eradicate. They are elusive and hard to track down. With the homeowners’ knowledge about this pest’s behavior, they will be prepared for ways how to manage, avoid, and, or prevent bed bug infestations in their homes.