Description & Habits
The Bed Bug Life Cycle
- Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans and sometimes other warm-blooded animals, including pets.
- They are active mainly at night, and hide during the day. They cannot fly, but they can run quickly.
- Adult bed bugs are small, oval, flattened insects, about the size and color of an apple seed. After feeding, their bodies become longer and more rounded.
- Their whitish eggs are so tiny they are hard to see without magnification.
- Eggs hatch into tiny nymphs. As they grow, they shed their skin 5 times before reaching maturity.
- The nymphs can survive for months without feeding and the adults for more than a year.
Where Bed Bugs Hide
- Bed bugs can hide in almost any crevice or protected location.
- At first, they hide in and around the bed, but as the infestation grows, they spread through the room.
- Look for bed bugs in places such as
- Along seams in the mattress or box springs or the cushions of upholstered furniture.
- In cracks & crevices in the headboard, bed frame, box springs, night stand, and other furniture.
- In cracks & crevices in the floor, walls, baseboards, windows, and doors.
- Behind pictures and other objects hanging on the wall.
- Bed bugs can also hide in or on purses, backpacks, luggage, clothing, books, and other items, which makes them easy to move around accidentally.