Bedbug Life Cycle

Bedbugs are parasitic bugs that prefer to feed on human blood, but have also been known to feed on mice and birds. Generally viewed as a sign of uncleanliness, the number of bedbugs in the world is prolific; all it takes to start an infestation is a single bug hitching a ride on a person's clothing or luggage from a hotel room straight to his home. Due to their strong cockroach-like survival ability, it can be difficult to destroy an infestation.

Eggs

• Female bedbugs lay white curved eggs that are about one mm long. They lay between three and eight eggs at once, and over the course of a lifetime can lay 200 to 500 eggs. Because eggs are laid in clusters along cracks or crevices and covered in a sticky substance, it can be very difficult to remove them once they've been spotted. Each egg has a cap at one end the bug emerges from during hatching. Generally, they hatch seven to 12 days after being laid. In warm weather, they hatch--and grow--more quickly than they do in cooler weather.

Nymphs

• Newly hatched bedbugs are called nymphs. Immediately upon hatching, bedbug nymphs require a blood meal, which they go looking for. This is one reason bedbugs prefer using mattresses as their breeding ground, although they also live in walls, behind artwork and in upholstered furniture. Nymphs progress through five stages of molting before reaching adulthood. This complete stage takes five weeks under average conditions, but can progress faster in warm weather. Male and female bedbug nymphs require blood meals to grow and molt. Before feeding, they're flat, colorless (or light brown) insects similar to ticks; after a blood meal, they're round and purplish-red.

Adults

• Adult bedbugs are about 5.5 mm long and reddish-brown. Adult females, like molting nymphs, require blood meals in order to produce their eggs. All adult bedbugs exclusively eat blood meals; however, they can survive for up to a year without any meal. They're nocturnal feeders unless it's been a long time since their last meal, in which case they'll attempt a daytime feeding. Bedbugs are so small that most people don't notice the biting as it's happening, but the secretion they release through their bite may cause itching and red sores. The average lifespan of a bedbug is 12 months. Heavy eaters tend to live anywhere from four to six months, while dormant bedbugs can live as long as 18 months.

History

• Bedbugs have been a human parasite for several centuries. They were widespread in the U.S. before WWII and the invention of DDT, which was used to eradicate infestations. According to Bed-Bug.org, it hasn't been "until the last decade that reported cases gave an indication of a possible rise in [bedbug] infestations." One reason is that experts stopped spraying DDT in people's homes, opting for other, often less effective, extermination techniques. Additionally, people travel internationally more than before, making it easy for bedbugs to spread.

Signs of Infestation

• The first noticed indication of bedbugs is usually their bite, which can be itchy and result in clusters of red bumps across the skin. Tiny smatterings of blood stains across bed sheets is another indication, as are little brown smears (indicating bedbug excrement). Bedbugs are often embedded along mattress seams, and appear to be a dark line of mold from further away. If bedbugs are suspected, an inspection conducted by an expert is recommended, as they hide virtually everywhere.