Are Bed Bugs Found in Groups?
WouterThe bed bug’s life cycle is a cycle of two stages – the larvae and the adults. Each stage takes about a month to complete, but the larvae will live for many months if they are provided with a source of blood. They do not molt until they have eaten blood and will not lay eggs unless they are fed again. Adult bed bugs can live much longer than the larvae and lay eggs only after the blood supply has been exhausted.
Female bed bugs lay eggs in secluded locations in a bed. They can deposit one to two eggs a day and may lay hundreds over the course of their life. Their eggs are tiny dust specks that are whitish and sticky. They hatch after a week at room temperature. When they emerge from their eggs, the newly emerged bedbugs are about the size of a pinhead. They will feed every five to ten days.
Bed bugs belong to the Cimicidae family, which includes over 88 different species. Their main food sources are birds and bats. There are ten to twelve species in the continental U.S., with four species found in Indiana.
