BED BUG INFORMATION
General Information
Biology
Behavior
History of Bed Bugs
Health Risks of Bed Bugs
Photos & Videos
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BED BUG INSPECTION

Bed Bug Inspection & Detection

Signs of Bed Bugs
Bed Bug Detection
Professional Bed Bug Inspection
Methods of Bed Bug Inspection & Detection
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BED BUG CONTROL

Bed Bug Control

Controlling Bed Bug Infestations
How to Choose a Pest Management Professional
Methods of Bed Bug Control
Pesticide Resistance
Information for Hospitality & Housing Professionals
Tips for Travelers, Homeowners & Apartment Dwellers
Tips for Students
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BED BUG PROFESSIONALS

Bed Bug Professionals

Pest Management Professionals
Enlist With Bed Bug General
In the Trenches with Paul Bello
Honorable Service Award
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BED BUG PRODUCTS

Bed Bug Product Distributors

Bed Bug Product Distributors
You are here: Home > Biology > Life Cycle
Bed bugs have six life stages (five immature and one adult stage).  They will shed their skins through a molting process (ecdysis) throughout multiple stages of their lives.  The discarded outer shells look like clear, empty exoskeletons of the bugs themselves.  Bed bugs must molt five times before becoming fertile adults.  Immature bed bugs must take a blood meal in oreder to molt to the next instar.

Bed Bug Life Cycle Stages - Cimex Lectularius

Bed bugs must take a blood meal before molting to the next stage.
An adult bed bug may have fed on you or your family as many as 6 times.
 
Adults and all nymphal stages of bed bugs need to take blood meals from warm-blooded hosts, which are typically humans although other mammals and birds can be utilized in the absence of a human host.  Female bed bugs lay about five eggs (1) daily throughout their adult lives in a sheltered location (mattress seams, crevices in box springs, spaces under baseboards, etc).  Eggs hatch in about 4-12 days into first instar nymphs (2) which must take a blood meal before molting to the next stage.  The bugs will undergo five nymphal stages ( 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), each one requiring a blood meal before molting to the next stage, with the fifth stage molting into an adult (7).  Nymphs, although lacking wing buds, resemble smaller versions of the adults.  Nymphs and adults take about 5-10 minutes to obtain a full blood meal.  The adults may take several blood meals over several weeks, assuming a warm-blooded host is available.  Mating occurs off the host and involves a unique form of copulation called �traumatic insemination� whereby the male penetrates the female�s abdominal wall with his external genitalia and inseminates into her body cavity.  Adults live 6-12 months and may survive for long periods of time without feeding.
 
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