What do baby bed bugs look like to the human eye?
When suspecting bed bug presence, the common action taken is to examine your surroundings. To have any real chance of identifying these parasites, you’ll need to know how they look like.
What Do Bed Bugs Look Like As Babies?
Now, there are different aspects of their identity to look out for; that is, how adults look, how the babies look as well as what their eggs look like.
While identifying these key features is essential, we’re more concerned about the look of young or immature bed bugs. These aren’t yet fully grown into adulthood and may appear quite different from mature adults.
The chance of successful treatment is only possible when the identity of the enemy is established.
Why Bother About Immature Bed Bugs?
You have every reason to worry about tiny or baby bed bugs as you would the adults. The reason is simple; once hatched, they’ll need to feed. Now, it’s no secret that these creatures depend on your blood for survival.
Baby bed bugs will need to feed to survive and molt to the next stage.
Inability to Identify Baby Bed Bugs May Cause the Problem to Linger
When faced with a bed bug infestation, treatment will require knowing what you’re after. If you can only identify adult bed bugs, your chances of eliminating these pests are reduced.
Eliminating young bed bugs is as important as exterminating adults.
Bed Bug Development
Once bed bug eggs are hatched, the new hatchlings will begin to gradually develop or molt into different stages.
These hatchlings are called nymphs. They pass through different stages of development before attaining adulthood.
These stages of development or molting are what we’re most interested in. Bed bug babies are their tiniest size when newly hatched. This is the first nymph stage. They measure about 1.5 mm.
At the second nymph stage, bed bugs increase in size to about 2mm.
The third nymph stage is where these baby bugs grow to about 2.5 mm. At this point, these young parasites are considered as being midway to becoming full-grown adults.
At the fourth nymph stage, baby bed bugs measure about 3mm.
The fifth nymph stage is the last before they turn into adulthood. This is where baby bed bugs are at their largest size measuring about 4.5 mm. As adults, bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed.
Here, they measure about 5 to 7 mm. That is, about 3/16 to 1/4 inch long.
Identifying Just Born Bed Bugs
So far, we’ve only discussed baby bed bug development from the moment they’ve hatched. You’ll need to know how they look or how to easily identify them.
What does a baby bed bug look like?
Baby bed bugs can be identified by several features.
Are baby bed bugs black? No.
You’ll find these young bugs to be translucent. Sometimes, they may appear whitish-yellow. These are visible but are much tinier compared to adult bed bugs.
As they molt, they become larger with a noticeable color change.
How big are baby bed bugs?
Their coloration and size largely depend on whether they’re fed or not. A bed bug nymph that hasn’t fed for a considerable amount of time will almost be invisible. Plus, they’re smaller. Typically, they are around 1.5mm large.
Here, it’s evident that blood is a requirement for molting.
Where to Find Baby Bed Bugs
Baby bed bugs can be found in pretty much all areas inhabited by their adult kind.
Likely hiding spots include junctions between ceiling and wall, chair and couch seams, head of screws, curtain folds, between cushions, and in drawer joints.
Other places to find baby bed bugs include beneath wall hangings and loose wallpapers as well as in electrical receptacles and appliances.
These young bugs can also be found behind baseboards and headboards among so many other similar hiding spots or locations.
Generally, both adult and young bed bugs want to stay within easy reach of a targeted food source. Remember they feed solely on blood, so your bed, couch, and lounge areas are likely to harbor these parasites.
Although humans are their key targets, bed bugs won’t be found living on your body. They can readily hitch a ride on your luggage or clothing as a means of migrating to a new and favorable location.
Baby Bed Bugs Do Bite
If you’ve doubted whether young bed bugs feed on your blood, you may want to reconsider your position.
These young pests will readily bite to feed on your blood. Humans are considered a ready source of a blood meal. You’ll get as much discomfort from baby bed bug bites as you would from adults.
Best Response to Baby Bed Bug Presence
If you’ve been able to identify the presence of a baby bed bug from the information provided here, urgent action will be needed.
Before taking any action, you should know that their presence is confirmation of adult bed bug presence in addition to their eggs.
So, you should be concerned with eliminating all three (eggs, young bugs, and adult bed bugs).
This is a more comprehensive approach to take. In terms of the best response to bed bug presence, hiring a professional bed bug control service will do a lot of good.
There are lots of limitations with most DIY home remedies for bed bugs.
First, you might not know bed bug behavior. Secondly, the treatment applied may not be as efficient as those offered by a professional. Additionally, certain insecticide products may be applied wrongly.
There are lots of bed bug control services available.
However, not all are as reliable. You’ll need to find those with the most positive reviews. An online search should reveal tons of such service providers with reviews from clients who have used their services in the past.
You must go for verified reviews as some of these are skewed and don’t represent or capture real client opinions. In other words, they’re fake reviews.
Comprehensive Treatment is Necessary
Having discovered the presence of baby bed bugs, it’s never enough to focus only on them. Treatment must target adults as well as their eggs.
Anything less won’t provide the much-needed relief you seek.
It’s not difficult to know what bed bugs look like as babies once you know what to look out for. The several identification tips provided here helps you easily distinguish these young pests from others.