Facts about bed bug eggs and bed bug larvae

Here at Western, we get a lot of calls about bed bugs. Often when people think about these pests, they forget about the early stages of bed bugs eggs and bed bug larvae. We decided to answer a few questions on the topic.

What do bed bug eggs look like?

Bed bug eggs are approximately 1mm in length and are off-white in color. When the eggs are laid, they attach with an extremely strong material that makes them difficult to dislodge. Bed bug eggs take 6-10 days to hatch.

Bed bug stages and life cycle

The bed bug life cycle includes bed bug eggs, five larvae, or nymph, stages. At each stage, the bed bug has one blood meal, which helps it to grow, shed its skin, and metamorphose into the next stage. After five molts, the bed bug is considered to have reached maturity. The amount of time that it takes a bed bug to progress through the life cycle will be dependent on temperature and availability of blood meals. It may take anywhere from 21 days at 86℉ to 120 days at 65℉. The temperature threshold for bed bug eggs to hatch is 55-59℉.

Where do bed bugs lay eggs?

Adult female bed bugs lay single eggs, one to twelve times a day, often in the same sites that older bed bugs are found. These concentrations of bed bugs additionally may be accompanied by traces of their fecal matter, reddish-black in color. Preferred locations are crevices or other tight places. Check mattress buttons and edges, box springs, and bed frames, as bed bugs are partial to wood and fabrics over plastic and metal.

If the infestation is not immediately handled, adult female bed bugs tend to lay eggs in locations away from the primary egg-laying locations, making finding these bed bug egg deposits difficult.

Do I have bed bug eggs in my hair?

Bed bug eggs are rarely found in hair as the parent bugs do not spend much time there. Unlike fleas and ticks, bed bugs are not equipped with the body parts that would allow them to attach to hair or the scalp. Bugs found in these locations would more likely be fleas or lice.

How do I kill bed bug eggs?

Due to the difficulty of locating bed bug eggs and also their resistance to most chemicals, it is most advantageous and effective to rely on the professionals to eliminate them. The same factors also often render multiple treatments necessary. One missed bed bug egg can mean a resurgence of the infestation.

Vacuuming is rarely effective in removing bed bug eggs as they strongly adhere to the surface on which they are laid. That being said, if you do try vacuuming, make sure to empty the vacuum each time you use it and dispose of the the bag outdoors. A normal wash cycle in hot water will kill bed bugs on clothing, sheets, etc. Moreover, running non-washable items through a dryer at a minimum of 140℉ will kill the bugs at any life stage.

What do bed bug larvae look like?

After the bed bugs hatch, they are referred to as bed bug larvae. Although adult bed bugs are very small, the bed bug larvae are even smaller. They appear like tiny grains of pepper and you can only see the eggs or other parts of their body by looking at them under a microscope.

Bed bug larvae actually go through five stages of development. In each case, they are very small and look like tinier version of their adult selves. They also change color, growing darker, when they have a blood meal and are required to have a blood meal to grow and reach the next level of development. Bed bug larvae do bite and they do feed, so if you find bed bug bites, but cannot find the adult bed bugs, you might have bed bug larvae developing into adults and becoming a full on infestation.

How can Western Exterminator help with bed bug eggs or bed bug larvae?

Western uses a unique tactic to help locate hidden bed bugs, bed bug eggs and bed bug larvae. With Canine Bed Bug Detection, bed bugs in any part of the lifecycle can be detected more quickly and efficiently. Our Bed Bug Detection dogs detect the bugs by their scent, finding hiding places that could easily be missed in a visual inspection. Once found, our pest specialists take the utmost care implementing a treatment that will remove the pests from your property in the safest way possible, including beg bugs, bed bug eggs and bed bug larvae.

Remember, bed bugs are extremely difficult to find and eliminate without the help of trained professionals. Trust the experts in pest control to solve your problem. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call 800-937-8398 or contact us here.