How Big Do Bed Bugs Get?
The size of bed bugs depends on their stage of development and the food they eat. They are as small as a millimeter long when they are eggs. Bed bug nymphs are smaller than adult bed bugs and feed on human blood. Their lifespan is about four months. They are very hard to see and can be difficult to get rid of if they are small.
Bed bugs have a long abdomen with eleven segments, and these segments are not just for looks. When they feed, the abdomen expands and doubles or triples in size. The bedbug then looks for a safe place to rest and digest their meal. They then shrink back down to a smaller size and begin the process over again.
You can recognize bed bug bites by their red welts and bumps. They appear in clusters and do not form a clear pimple like an acne zit. They also resemble mosquito bites, which cause a numbing effect and cause an allergic reaction. These bugs typically feed before dawn, but they may also feed at any time of the day. Bed bugs are difficult to spot and often take up to 10 minutes to engorge themselves.
If you are dealing with a bed bug infestation, you should treat it quickly. If you leave the infestation untreated, the bugs will grow and spread. In addition, you should also keep in mind that you may be liable for the damage if you misapplied an insecticide. You should contact the local health department for more information or hire a professional pest control company to do the job for you.