The rate bed bugs develop is dependent on the temperature as well as human host availability.
Bed bugs go from an egg to an adult anywhere between 21 days to 48 days depending on temperature. Mature bed bugs mate after feeding; the female stores sperm and are able to fertilize eggs for 5 to7 weeks after mating. They can deposit up to 5 eggs a day but stop after 11 days unless they are able to feed again. A female bed bug can lay 200 to 500 eggs in her lifetime. Females do not lay eggs when the temperature is lower than 10 °C. Eggs usually hatch in six to seventeen days but may take much longer if the temperature is cooler. Eggs are deposited in batches in almost every crack or crevice you can imagine. These eggs are coated with a sticky film that causes them to cling to almost any object. When bed bugs hatch they look like small adults and are called nymphs. Bed bugs will shed their outer shell about five times before reaching maturity.
Bed bugs spend the majority of their time hiding together in cracks and crevices. Bed bugs usually become active at night, between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am. Usually at this time the unsuspecting human hosts are in their deepest sleep and, therefore, are an easy meal. Bed bugs are attracted to CO2 produced by their hosts breathing. Bed bugs are also attracted to body heat produced by the host. Bed bugs when not feeding are commonly found near the host’s bed or on/in the mattress or box spring. However bed bugs will many times seek alternative locations of up to 20 feet or more from the blood source.
Once a bed bug finds the host they probe and pierce the skin trying to find a suitable location before it starts to feed. This probing may result in the host receiving several bites from the same bed bug. Once the bed bug settles in on a suitable location it will feed for approximately 4 to 10 minutes. After the bed bug is full it will leave the host and return to its hiding place. The bed bug will then begin digesting its blood meal. Bed bugs usually feed usually every 3 to 7 days depending on host availability and room temperature.
If you think you might have an infestation of bed bugs, call now and let us help you quickly get rid of the problem. We know how to professionally identify, eliminate and monitor your bed bug infestation.