How Big Bed Bugs Get
WouterIf you’ve ever wondered how big bed bugs get, you’re not alone. They can grow up to 50% larger after a meal. The oval, reddish-brown body of a bed bug has 6 legs and cannot jump. The bugs’ wings and antennae also change color and length when they feed.
The size of bed bugs depends on the variety, but they generally range from about a quarter inch to a quarter inch in length. The bugs themselves are difficult to detect, and they’re hard to get rid of. The bite marks they leave behind are unpleasant and irritating. The bugs’ eggs are transparent or pure white, and they typically lay them in hiding places.
Once they’re engorged, bedbugs remain active for five to 10 days before they need to feed again. The time they spend in feeding is dependent on the amount of blood they’ve taken. It can take five to ten minutes for them to feed, but they’re likely to do so for a few days.
Adult bed bugs can be up to 3/16 inch long. They have six legs and are similar in appearance to a seed. Their baby stage is known as a nymph, and is much smaller than the adult stage. The newly hatched nymph is about one-half millimeter long and is typically white or ivory in color.
