How Many Bed Bugs Are Born at Once?
WouterThere is no single answer to the question of how many bed bugs are born at once. Adult bed bugs can live up to a year, and they can have up to 40 babies in a week. Their reproduction rate is very high, and it is nearly impossible to eliminate them. In a warm room, a single female can lay up to five eggs per day. After hatching, the bugs need about three days to feed. Then, they must shed their shell before they can start their life cycle all over again.
Bed bugs have five stages: the nymph, the first instar, the second instar and the third instar. In the third instar, the bugs shed their shell and start growing. It takes about three weeks for one bed bug to grow from a newly hatched nymph to a fully grown adult. During each stage, bed bugs feed.
Adult bed bugs are oval, wingless, and about 1/5 inch long. They have well-developed antennae and small compound eyes. They also have a pronotum, an area behind the head that bears numerous tiny hairs. Their immatures, called nymphs, are smaller and yellowish-white in color.
Female bed bugs lay eggs in hidden cracks and crevices. They do this to avoid mating and to start a new infestation. Female bed bugs don’t want to live on humans and therefore, prefer to lay eggs away from human hosts. Besides, they are attracted to carbon dioxide and the chemicals in human skin.
