Typical bed bug breeding ground
Nobody likes the idea of a bed bug infestation. However, these tiny invaders can be found, in abundance, all over the world. Once in a home, they invade warm, dark spaces (like beds), searching for warm-blooded creatures to supply their daily meals. Once the invasion begins, a chain reaction of breeding begins and has the potential to get out of hand quickly.
Egg
Over the course of her lifetime, a typical female bed bug has the capacity to lay 300-500 eggs, typically at a rate of approximately five per day. Beds are often prime locations for egg laying, as females prefer to deposit eggs into dark crevices and rough, uneven surfaces. These tiny eggs (roughly 1/25 of an inch) will hatch after an average of ten days.
Nymph Stage
Freshly hatched bed bug larvae are known as nymphs. When they first hatch, these tiny creatures are a pale beige color. Upon hatching, nymphs will immediately begin searching for food. Nymphs will die quickly if they are not successful in finding a blood host. They typically find a meal in the humans which share their space. After feeding, the nymphs develop a reddish color and begin their growth stages.
Molting
During the larval phase, bed bugs will generally take a blood meal every 24 hours. As they continue to feed and grow, they shed their exoskeltons to make room for the new exoskeletons beneath. This growth process is known as molting. Past the nymph stage, bed bugs will go through an additional four stages of molting before becoming full-fledged adults.
Adult
After a few weeks of feeding and molting, larvae become fully grown adult bed bugs. Once bed bugs reach the adult stage, they can be surprisingly resilient, sometimes living for several months without a single blood meal. In ideal conditions, they are known to be hearty and thrive for long periods of time, perpetuating a vicious cycle of feeding and reproduction that can be a nightmare to eradicate.
Tags: blood meal, bugs will, these tiny