Bed Bug Life Cycle: Introduction, Stages and FAQs

Bed Bug is a type of tiny insect that usually feeds on blood at night. Their bites can result in numerous diseases like allergic symptoms, skin rashes, and psychological effects. Its bite can range from minor to serious problems, such as mild skin rash to skin blisters. They can survive in any condition of living. They need human proximity the most as they mainly or completely feed on human blood.

It is common to worry about their whereabouts and try to figure out how to get rid of them. Generally, they are not active during the day, and become highly reactive at night. It comes from the family of Cimicidae. They reside in beds, wooden furniture, and cracks in the floor. Its scientific name is Cimex Lectularius.

Bug Life Cycle

A Bed Bug’s Life Cycle is composed of three main stages, namely egg, nymph, and adult.

Egg

The life of a bug starts when it lays pearl, grainy, white eggs. An adult female bug can lay from 250 to 300 eggs, in its life span. They lay eggs in the clusters, in the cracks of nooks and floors. After 1 or 2 weeks, these eggs convert (hatch) into nymphs. Then, they begin searching for mammals to feed on their blood.

Nymph

Nymph is the second stage, there are five stages that a nymph goes through. It usually takes around five weeks to become an adult from a nymph. These stages are mentioned below:

1. Stage 1: Nymphs are freshly hatched Bed Bugs, and usually measure up to 1.5mm, which is so tiny. After hatching, these newborn nymphs begin feeding promptly. As they are immature bugs in this stage, they feed on the blood of mammals, until they become adults or reproducing adults.

2. Stage 2: After the initial stage of shedding, the bug becomes 2 mm long.

3. Stage 3: After stage 2 of moulting, it becomes 2.5 mm long.

4. Stage 4: Until now, the nymph has gone through several stages of shedding the outer layer, and now it has become 3 mm long.

5. Stage 5: It is the final stage of a nymph, when it becomes 4 mm long.

Adult

After going through the nymph stages, for around five weeks, it becomes mature now. An adult Bed Bug can be up to 4.5 mm long. At this stage, it can breed and reproduce. The lifespan of an adult Bed Bug is four to six months.

Bed Bug Insect

Bed Bugs can also be defined as tiny insects that feed on mammals’ blood. There are 2 species of Bed Bugs, namely Cimex Hemipterus and Cimex Lectularius, and both feed on blood. These insects are known as Bed Bugs due to their favourable habitat, which are the homes of humans. They reside in mattresses, soft furnishings, clothing, sofas, and other wooden furniture. Their bites can result from mild redness to severe blisters or itchiness.

Bed Bug Eggs

Bed Bug Eggs are extremely tiny, but it is visible to the naked eye. We do not need a microscope to see them. They are pearl-white in colour. When it is around five days old, we can spot the eggs with our eyes. The egg size is usually about 1 mm.

What is the Bug Life Cycle?

The journey of a Bug Life Cycle has also been known as the Defect Cycle. In this cycle, it goes through different stages of moulting, from eggs to nymph to an adult and mature bug. In its middle stages, these shed their outer skin, hair, or feather layer, and become mature. By now, they are able to reproduce and breed. Its entire life span is about 4 to 6 months.