Bed Bug Life Cycle
Bed Bug Life Cycle: Bed Bug Life Cycle Stages & Facts
What are bed bugs?
Bed bugs are tiny, flat, parasitic insects that feed on the blood of people and animals while they sleep.The scientific name of bed bugs is Cimex Lectularius. They are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm, and reside in cracks of floor, furniture and bed.
What is Animal Life Cycle: The life cycle of an animal shows how they grow and change over time.
What are the body parts of a Bed Bug
Bed Bug has mainly THREE parts i.e. the head, the thorax and the abdomen.
The Head – Head contains eyes, antennae, and the clypeus, used to pierce skin
The Thorax – Thorax contains 6 legs, no wings.
The Abdomen – Abdomen bears the digestive and reproductive structures.
What are the 7 Stages of Bed Bug Life Cycle?
Stage 1: Egg
This is the FIRST stage of bed bug life cycle. A female adult bed bug lays 3-4 eggs per day and up to 500 eggs in their life span. They are white in color and about a millimeter long like a grain. The eggs hatch within two weeks, and nymphs emerge.
Stage 2: The Nymph
Nymph Stage 1 –
At this stage nymphs are up to 1.5 millimeters long. Once hatched, these baby bed bugs start feeding immediately. To mature, they must have a blood meal before they can progress to the next molting stage
They molt in a process called ecdysis. The ecdysis is a process through many invertebrates shed their exoskeleton to make room for growth or to regenerate damaged tissue.
Each molting stage is called an instar, and with each instar the young bed bug grows 1.5mm to 4.5mm longer. The color of nymphs also change. They start changing their color from milky white to yellow/tan.
Nymph Stage 2 –
After the first stage of molting, the nymph becomes 2 millimeters long.
Nymph Stage 3 –
At this stage the nymph turns 2.5 millimeters long.
Nymph Stage 4 –
After molting again, bed bugs become 4th stage nymphs and are typically 2.5 millimeters long.
Nymph Stage 5 –
This is the last and final stage of the nymph phase, with the nymph measuring 4 millimeters long.
Stage 3: The Adult
It takes about FIVE weeks for a nymph to become an adult. At this point, they measure up to 4.5 millimeters and are able to breed.
An adult bed bug is expected to live for four to six months depending on temperatures and conditions within the residence. Some bed bugs may live for years and can go months without feeding.
Bed Bug Facts For Kids
➤ FACT 1. Bed bugs are nocturnal – They are active at night and generally hide during the day.
➤ FACT 2. Bed bugs can ingest seven times their own body weight in blood
➤ FACT 3. female bed bugs can lay up to 500 eggs in a lifetime.
➤ FACT 4. some bed bugs can live for 18 months without feeding.
➤ FACT 5. Bed bugs need to feed at least once before each molt.