Bed bugs are sneaky — you might not realize that you have been bit by one due to the anesthetic and anticoagulant it can inject after feeding. A few days later, the bites will appear like a mosquito bite and begin to itch or become irritating. By then, the bugs could have multiplied.

Fully grown bed bugs are small, reddish-brown and wingless insects with oval-shaped bodies. They have a life cycle that can progress quickly and cause them to spread if you do not exterminate them. Continue reading for more information on the average bed bug life cycle.

Stage One: Egg

Like most insects, a bed bug’s life cycle begins as an egg. An individual egg can be the size of a pinhead, barely visible to the eye. Sometimes, bed bug eggs are laid in clusters, which can be easier to spot. Each individual egg is pearly white in color and will be marked by an eye spot if it is more than five days old. An egg will hatch between 4-12 days and begin the nymph stage of its life.

Stage Two: Nymph

After the bug hatches, it will immediately begin to feed and grow into the first molt nymph. A nymph will pass through several molts before it matures. To continue to grow through these stages, a nymph must continue to feed. Each blood meal will take around 5-10 minutes, which is why they inhabit areas where people sleep or lie still for extended periods.

A nymph is larger than its egg but smaller than an adult. It is translucent yellow and may appear invisible to the naked eye if it has not eaten recently.

Stage Three: Adult

Once the nymph has fed at least once in each molt, it will become an adult. Adult bed bugs may only need one feeding per week to survive, but they can live from four months to a year without a blood meal, depending on the conditions.

In general, adult bed bugs come in a range of sizes. If not fed recently, these insects will appear long and oval-shaped, but after a recent feeding, they may be balloon-like with reddish-brown elongated features. A bed bug has six legs and two antennas. It will travel with a musty odor produced by the glands on the underside.

An adult female bed bug can lay many eggs in one lifetime. And thus, the cycle continues. As a result, if you suspect you have bed bugs, it’s vital to find a business qualified to remove them for you.

Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite — Call Pestech Today

Bed bugs are tricky to control, as they can quickly multiply in secret. The best way to kill a bed bug is to let the professionals handle it. Our exterminators at Pestech are trained to search for bed bugs and use our pest control services in the trickiest places they hide — from windows to bed frames to closets. If you suspect a bed bug infestation, contact us to schedule your inspection and receive a response within 24 hours.