The bed bug life cycle plays a critical role in knowing how and when to treat the tiny pests. If you’ve got a bed bug problem in NYC, you’ll hear about the stage they’re likely in when an exterminator comes to talk to you about bed bug treatment. Here’s what you need to know about the life cycle of bed bugs:
Adult Stage
The life of a bed bug is one of growth, feeding, and storing up energy. An adult bed bug usually spends its time looking for warm places to hide, a host to feed off of, and a mate to procreate with. The bad news is that adult bed bugs can live for long periods of time without a meal, meaning that it’s difficult to kill them via starvation. It also means that they can inhabit your home for a while before you notice and potentially lay eggs in other areas. This is why bed bugs can spread very easily, because they can travel undetected with a host and can split off and find a new one along the way. Bed bugs can live in excess of 12 months, meaning they have a lot of opportunity to feed and breed.
Related: Bed Bug Exterminator Tips for Keeping the Infestation From Spreading In Your Manhattan, NY, Home
Bed Bug Eggs
Having bed bug eggs in your living space is bad news—it means you’ve got an influx of new bed bugs that could arrive any day. Bed bug eggs are typically laid in the niches of fabric, bedding, upholstery, and even carpet. A female bed bug can lay up to five eggs per day, every day, for their entire lifespan. This is why having even one bed bug is such a problem, because if it’s a pregnant female, your one bed bug could quickly turn into many more. Once laid, the eggs take 10 days to hatch. Once they hatch, they go through several growth stages, all requiring a feeding off their host. Within five to six weeks, the newly hatched bed bugs will be full-fledged adult bed bugs.
Their Last Hours
Bed bugs can survive long periods of time without feedings, even more so when they are in cold temperatures. Colder temperatures slow their bodily processes, allowing them to survive with no sustenance. This means that trying to get rid of bed bugs yourself by turning off the heat or some other method may only extend their lifespan, rather than kill them. It takes very extreme temperatures to kill bed bugs, which is why we use Cryonite technology to kill all bed bugs and their eggs. Cryonite technology freezes to death all bed bugs and their eggs while leaving your home undamaged with no residue. The process is green, chemical free, and very effective. After treatment, a follow-up inspection should be performed to ensure that there are no new bed bugs.
Related: What to Expect After Bed Bug Treatment in Brooklyn, NY
The bed bug life cycle makes it difficult to determine just how many bed bugs you’ve got. It also makes them tough critters to kill, as they live a relatively long time and can survive without feedings. Bed bugs are one problem you should not mess around with. Call NY Bed Bug Dogs, and we’ll make sure the problem goes away for good!