97 percent of pest professionals have provided bed bug treatments in the past year, according to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). If you’re one of the many homeowners with a bed bug problem, take a look at what you need to know how these invaders multiply and spread.
How Many Eggs Do Bed Bugs Produce?
Like other insects, the females of the species lay eggs often. Provided the female has the right environment and an available male, she can lay eggs daily. Not only can female bed bugs lay eggs every day, but these pests can lay between four and seven eggs at a time. This means in her lifetime, a female bed bug may lay 200 or more eggs.
Keep in mind, the 200-plus number is for one female bed bug. If your home has an infestation, chances are you have more than just one bug. Multiply the number by the two, five, 10, 30, or more bugs your home has and you’ll get a better picture of problems these invaders can cause.
How Often Do Bed Bug Eggs Hatch?
Even though females can lay eggs daily, this doesn’t mean baby bed bugs hatch immediately after. Under the right conditions (such as the warmth of your home), bed bugs typically hatch every 10 days.
Some experts put the specific number of days it takes a bed bug egg to hatch slightly higher: between 10 and 12 days, while others say the number is lower at six to 10 days. Whether six, 10, or 12 days, bed bugs clearly hatch at a high rate. This means you could have several new crops of bed bugs hatching in your home within one month.
What Is the Bed Bug Life Cycle?
Now that you know how many eggs a bed bug can lay and how quickly the eggs can hatch, learn more about the life cycle of this problematic home pest. After bed bugs hatch, the new nymphs (baby bed bugs) need to eat a blood meal.
What does this mean for you? The newly hatched pests will look to the humans in your household for their first meal. After the first meal, bed bugs will need to feed at least one time before they molt. Most bed bugs molt (or shed their exoskeleton) five times before they become adults.
Along with pre-molting meals, some bed bugs will also eat daily. Even though some of these pests eat often, bed bugs can go for days, months, or even a year without a meal. Given the length of time these bugs can go without food, they don’t always need humans for survival. Don’t assume that your new home is free of bugs.
How Long Do Bed Bugs Live?
According to the University of Minnesota Extension, bed bugs typically live for two to four months. While some bugs can live longer, use this lifespan number as an average for calculating how many invaders you could have in your home. If you do nothing to treat the invasion, the bugs will continue to multiply and add new generations at a rapid rate.
Will Bed Bugs Spread to Other Areas?
Do you have bed bugs in your bedroom? What about other areas of your home? While the bugs have little reason to venture far away from the comfort of their home and their food source, they can hitchhike their way to other spaces in your home.
What Can You Do about the Spread of Bed Bugs?
Never attempt to treat an infestation yourself. Given the rapid rate bed bugs can multiply, you need a pest control professional to find and treat the problem.
Does your home have bed bugs? Contact Environmental Services Pest Control, LLC, for more information.