•Life Stages: Eggs hatch into nymphs. Newly hatched nymphs are tiny—about 1/16th of an inch.
•Nymphs—which look like small adults—become adults in 5 weeks. They go through 5 molts to reach adult size—meaning they shed their old, smaller skin 5 times. They must feed before each molt.
•Females can produce 5-7 eggs per week, laying up to 500 in a lifetime.
•Bed bugs grow fastest and lay most eggs at about 80°F.
•They feed only on blood or “blood meal”.
•They feed when people are sleeping or sitting quietly, often when it’s dark.
•They seek shelter in cracks and crevices when not feeding.
•They poop out “blood spots.” Spots look like dots made by a fine felt-tipped marker. You’d see them near where they fed and near their hideouts.
•Adults can live over a year without a meal.
•Adults, nymphs and eggs can survive sustained heat and cold if given time to adjust.
•Can be found in the cleanest of clean places. But clutter makes them harder to get rid of.
•They have no “grooming behavior”—meaning that insecticides meant to be swallowed by roaches and flies won’t work on bed bugs.