Fleas in House

Cimex lectularius, the Bedbug, is a wingless parasitic insect that feeds on blood from warm-blooded animals—which includes humans. Bedbugs are regarded as nest parasites, as they are known to inhabit the nesting places of animals, birds’ nests, for instance. In the case of humans, these insects would dwell in their beds, thus giving them the name they are commonly known as.

It takes only one female bedbug to lay approximately 300 to 500 eggs in its entire lifetime. These eggs have a curved-shape and measure 1/25 inches in length. Female bedbugs deposit 3 up to 8 eggs a day in clusters, attaching them with a sticky substance onto secluded places such as cracks or crevices. It usually takes a period of a week or 12 days for the eggs to hatch.

The young bedbugs are known as nymphs, and their physical appearance is similar to that of mature bedbugs, except that they are much smaller in size. Freshly-hatched nymphs start out beige in color, but eventually acquire a reddish hue once they have fed on blood. Nymphs have to go through 5 development stages before reaching adulthood, a process which involves them shedding their skin 5 times until the mature. These stages usually occur within a period of around 32 to 48 days.

Nymphs are required to feed in-between each of the 5 stages. Warm weather tends to hasten a young bedbug’s maturity, and one can reach adulthood in as soon as a month under a temperature of 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Mature bedbugs are known to be able to live from 7 months up to a year without feeding. Interestingly, bedbugs that have a sufficient source of blood available to them tend to have shorter life-spans. For instance, those who manage to feed on a regular basis usually live as short as only 10 months, while bugs that have not adequately fed can thrive for a little over 1 year.

The worst that bedbugs can do to people is cause itchiness due to an allergic reaction to these insects’ saliva. For some, this is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. But for others still, it can be quite irritating and extremely uncomfortable. It would do well for one to keep their surroundings clean, as well as wash their sheets and clothes thoroughly, so as not to provide a breeding ground for these parasites. As the old adage goes, one should definitely not let the bedbugs bite.

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