Some of you may be curious about bed bug life cycle, especially if you have found bed bug in your mattress or bedding. For some people, bed bugs are disgusting little creatures that disturb their life. As we know that bed bug can bite human and cause some symptoms. Read the information below to know more about bed bug.
The Life Cycle of Bed Bug
Actually, the life cycle of bed bug is divided into 7 stages, such as below:
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Egg
In this phase, you may be not able to see bed bug egg. The size is so small and has milky white color. About size, the egg is about one millimeter in length. It makes you will be difficult to see egg of bed bug. You can imagine a couple grains of salt. The egg is so small and hard to see by our eyes.
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1st Stage Nymph
After the egg phase, the next stage of bed bug life cycle is nymph stage. Nymph is divided into 5 stages. The first nymph stage is a very little bed bug. In first stage nymph, bed bug doesn’t have ability to breed, but the bed bug will start feeding. Bed bugs will breed if they are fully adults. In 1st stage nymph, bed bugs are 1.5 millimeters in length.
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2nd Stage Nymph
It is the next stage of bed bug life cycle. In this stage, the size of bed bugs is about 2 millimeters in length.
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3rd Stage Nymph
After molting again, bed bugs will grow faster. In 3rd stage nymph, the size of bed bugs is about 2.5 millimeters in length.
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4th Stage Nymph
In this stage, bed bugs will grow up to 3 millimeters in length. It means that bed bugs may be able to be seen by us. But, the size is still small because the bed bugs are not fully adults.
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5th Stage Nymph
It is the final nymph stage. In this stage, bed bugs have bigger size, which is up to 4.5 millimeters long. So, you may be able to see bed bugs in this phase.
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Adult
In this stage, bed bugs look big and can be seen by humans. Adult bed bugs can also breed. Actually, a nymph just needs five weeks to be an adult bed bug. So, the growth of bed bugs is much faster. If you find a bed bug, you may find other bed bugs in next day because the growth of bed bugs is very fast.
Bed Bug Life Cycle : Image via health.mo.gov
How Fast Are Bed Bugs Able to Breed?
Although bed bugs are a small animal, but it can lead to serious problems. Remember that bed bugs can grow faster than we think. When it happens, bed bugs need to feed and finally bite our skin to get their meals. A bed bug may be not a problem. But what we should do if there are so many bed bugs in our bed or room and bite us day by day?
Actually, a bed bug can come from various places. For example, we stay at a hotel or another place where the bed bugs grow. When there is a couple of bed bug lay in our clothes, they will stay in our clothes until we arrive at home. And finally, the bed bugs will grow in our room or bed. Next time, the female bed bug will breed and produce so many bed bugs.
A female bed bug is able to lay somewhere between one and five eggs a day. For your information, female bed bugs just need 2 weeks to hatch their eggs. It means the process of breeding is so faster. No wonder if we can find so many bed bugs in our bedding after we find a bed bug in the last two weeks. Seeing that condition, we need to get rid of the bed bug as soon as possible before bed bugs breed.
From the nymph stage, bed bugs just need 5 weeks to be adult bed bugs. When bed bugs become adult, they can breed and produce eggs again. After you find a small bed bug, you will find so many adult bed bugs after 1 or 3 months. So, early detection is so important to get rid of bed bugs as soon as possible.
How Often Do Bed Bugs Feed?
Bed Bugs Image via: citybugs.tamu.edu
Bed bugs bite human skin and cause itchy feeling in bitten area. They bite human to fulfill their nutrition and energy to grow. Some of you may be curious about how often bed bugs feed. Actually, an adult bed bug just needs to eat once a week. Even, many bed bugs can survive without eating for 2 months.
But the problem is in the number of bed bugs. How many bed bugs stay at your bedding or room? If a bed bug needs to feed once a week, how about other bed bugs? You may be bitten by bed bug every day because there are too many bed bugs in your room. So, be careful when you find a bed bug. Sometime, you can’t see them until you find redness on your skin. Read: How Do You Get Bed Bugs In The First Place?
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Whenever you find bed bugs in your mattress or bedding, don’t be doubt to clean your bedding and mattress as soon as possible. Bed bugs may have move to furniture in your bedroom. So, try to sterilize all types of furniture in your room. You can wash mattress and bedding with hot water to kill all bed bugs.
As a preventive action, you can use a vacuum cleaner to clean your bedding and room. It is an effective way to prevent bed bugs. If you feel so confuse to get rid of bed bugs, try to ask help from professionals. Ask professionals to fumigate your room. It is also a good way to get rid of bed bugs as soon as possible.
There are still many ways to get rid of bed bugs. But, try to do early detection and preventive action to make your room is free of bed bugs. Hopefully, the information about bed bug life cycle above will help you to know more about bed bugs and how to get rid of it.
