Bed Bug Facts

Bed bug facts

Bed Bug 101

 

Facts, Identification and Control

Scientific Order: Hemiptera

Family: Cimicidae

 

Appearance

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Size: Eggs are approximately 1/32 of an inch long while adults are approximately 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch long.

Color: Their eggs are white, while babies (nymphs) are colorless, and adults are a mahogany or rusty brown color.

 

Behavior and Diet

As soon as they hatch, the nymphs look to find a host to begin feeding. Once they find the food source and are ready to eat, they attach to the skin and begin to probe for a good 'access point.' Bed bugs are nocturnal creatures, feeding only at nights.

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It takes anywhere from 3-10 minutes for a bed bug to complete a meal, by which time they are completely engorged. However, once they leave the host, they will return to their hiding place for several days in order to completely digest the meal. This cycle is repeated each time the bed bugs are hungry. Normally, bed bugs attempt to feed every five to 10 days.

 

 

Reproduction

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Bed bugs only become fertile upon reaching their final, adult life stage. On average, a female bed bug will lay 131 eggs in her lifetime, or approximately one to five eggs each day. Their nests can be found in bed frames, floors, walls and other similar sites within homes or businesses. The eggs can take anywhere from 6 to 28 days to hatch, depending on the environmental settings and temperatures. Bed bugs develop very quickly and can reproduce so often that it is possible for bed bugs to produce offspring of 5-7 generations in one year.

Other Characteristics

All bed bugs are oval shaped and have six legs. Their feet have claws, not pads, making it harder for bed bugs to move about freely on slicker surfaces, such as plastic or metal.

Bed bugs are wingless insects that are flattened on the top and bottom with microscopic hairs that give the impression of a wrinkled appearance.

After feeding, they become engorged with blood, increasing their body length and swelling at the sides while typically expressing a more dull-red or red-brown color.

 

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

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Bed bugs leave behind a lot of visual cues to let you know you have an infestation. Inexplicable small brown or red stains on your sheets are a common sign that you have an infestation. On top of these stains you should be able to see visual cues of the bugs with clusters of eggs and bugs (little dark spots) in all the seams and crevices on your bed or fabric furniture.