What’s the Size of Bed Bugs?
WouterBedbugs are small and oval in shape. The adult is about the size of a pinhead and their eggs are about 1/3 the size of a pinhead. The nymphs are smaller. They have six legs and two antennae. Adult bedbugs are brown and can be found in upholstered furniture, mattress seams, and box springs. They can also be found on walls and floors.
Despite their tiny size, bedbugs lay a large number of eggs. Each egg is only about a half-inch long. The nymphs must feed for three to five days to develop into adults. Once an adult bedbug has matured, she can lay as many as 500 eggs. These eggs are tiny – only about the size of a pinhead – and develop quickly. Bedbugs lay between two and five eggs a day. Once the nymphs hatch, they are about three to four millimeters long.
When bedbugs are feeding, their bodies become longer and wider. They become vulnerable during this time, so they look for a place with a protected environment. After they’ve gorged on human blood, they slough off the nutrients that they ingested. The adult bedbug is approximately the size of an apple seed.
The bites of bedbugs are similar to those of mosquitoes. Both bite the skin in order to inject saliva into it. People with an allergy to these bites may experience an allergic reaction. Bedbug bites can be anywhere from 0.1 to 1.5 inches in size.
