How Do Bed Bugs Mate?
WouterBedbugs are known for their bizarre reproductive and breeding habits, and it’s a fascinating process to observe. In a process known as traumatic insemination, a male bug stabs the female with its reproductive organ to release the male’s gametes, which then travel to the female bug’s reproductive parts. Once there, they fertilize the eggs.
Bedbugs mate at certain times of the year. Usually, this occurs in the spring, when the insects are at their most active. When they mate, male bedbugs prefer females that have just been fed. This makes it easier for the male to pierce the female’s skin during fertilization. The process also scares the female. The female, meanwhile, feeds herself during the egg carrying phase. Once she has laid eggs, she may disengage from her mate in order to feed better and lay more eggs.
After laying their eggs, the nymphs seek blood meals, which are necessary for growth. The nymphs will develop into adults after about five weeks. The adult bedbug lives from four to seven months, although in ideal conditions, it can live for 11 months. In addition to mating, bedbugs produce up to 4 generations during their life cycle.
The eggs of the bed bug are about the size of a grain of rice, and are usually sticky. The female lays the eggs far from their original harborage to avoid mating with the same host. However, bed bugs also lay eggs around the harborages of humans, and these can be found in places where their hosts live.
