Life cycle of Bed bugs
A mature bedbug life cycle spans between four to five weeks under ideal conditions. Typical life cycle of a bed bug goes through five essential stages before it matures into an adult bed bug. Each stage is termed as the instar. Bedbugs require amiable conditions and warm blood to survive and reproduce. They need sufficient blood feed to progress through each stage. Under best conditions, the life cycle of a bedbug is as short as twenty-one days.
The reproductive ability of the bedbugs to lay large number of eggs with a brief period is truly incredible. A female bed bug has the capacity to lay about five eggs per day and up to three hundred eggs in her entire lifespan. The female bed bug produces a sticky substance, while laying the eggs. This makes the egg of the bed bug stick to the surface, where she lays the eggs. The sticky substance of the eggshell bounds onto the surface even after the egg hatches. Females often lay eggs in between thin cracks or crevices. The bed bug eggs are pin sized, oval shaped and are yellow/white. The eggs are generally in clusters. The eggs need a favorable temperature of about 70 degrees to hatch. It takes a longer time to hatch if the temperature is below the ideal temperature.
The Evolvement of Bed bug
The bedbugs hatch from the eggs, become young nymphs and adults before they begin to reproduce. Baby bed bugs are the junior or smaller versions of their parents. They are tiny and hard to notice. They require a blood meal before then can move to the next stage of development. The stage of development from egg to adult mature bug is the nymph stage. It is also termed as larva or larvae. The baby or young bed bugs shed their skin as they grow. The shedding of the skin is known as molting, which recurs at each stage of development. The first instar nymphs are more susceptible to die before achieving maturity. Baby bedbugs measure about 1.55mm of an inch long and are light brown once they hatch out of the eggs. However, the shape, color and size changes after each blood meal. As they progress to the last stage of development, they reach the size of 5.5mm long.
The nymphs as well as the adult bedbugs can survive without food for as long as twelve months. Nevertheless, the scarcity of food holds up the growth of the young nymphs. They easily fit into the tiny crevices and wall corners. After going through five instar nymph stages, the bed bug becomes a mature adult bug. Under ideal conditions, adult bedbugs have a life span of about three hundred days. Bed bugs keep themselves hydrated through the blood meal. Therefore, dehydration is a threat to their sustenance. This is one of the reasons that bedbugs hide into tiny crevices to maintain favorable environment with the right temperature and humidity to sustain long periods of starvation.
Stay Connected