Can Male Bed Bugs Have Babies?
WouterBed bugs can have babies and reproduce in a few different ways. The first way is through traumatic insemination, which involves a male bug piercing a female’s abdomen with a hardened reproductive organ. Once the gametes have been transferred to the female, they will hatch into eggs, which the female will hold for 5-7 weeks. After that, she will begin to lay eggs. Female bed bugs typically lay three to eight eggs per week.
The female bed bug will often lay her eggs far away from their original harborage. This helps the females avoid mating with the same male. It also helps start new infestations. Male bed bugs do not have the ability to hold onto the host, so they must feed frequently in order to produce a new generation of eggs.
Another way to tell whether a bed bug is pregnant is to look for signs of insemination. During mating, bed bugs are less active. This makes them easier to catch. They also tend to move slower after eating. Once they start mating, they will display their spermalege.
A female bed bug can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime. Bed bugs have a flat body and are about a quarter of an inch in length. Adult bed bugs feed every few days and may go for up to a week or two without eating.
