How do ordinary bed bugs reproduce? - briefly
Female bed bugs deposit 1–5 eggs daily in concealed cracks after feeding, with hatching occurring in roughly seven days and subsequent development through five nymphal molts before adulthood. Mating takes place shortly after the female’s final molt, allowing each fertilized female to produce several hundred offspring over her lifespan.
How do ordinary bed bugs reproduce? - in detail
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) reproduce sexually, laying eggs that develop outside the mother’s body.
Mating occurs through a process known as «traumatic insemination». The male uses a specialized intromittent organ to pierce the female’s abdominal wall, depositing sperm directly into the hemocoel. Sperm travel to a specialized storage site called the spermalege, where they remain viable until the female oviposits.
Following insemination, the female produces 1–5 eggs per day, depending on temperature and blood‑meal availability. A single individual can lay 200–500 eggs over its lifespan. Eggs are deposited in protected crevices, cemented to the substrate, and hatch after 6–10 days at 25 °C.
The lifecycle comprises five nymphal instars. Each instar requires a blood meal before molting to the next stage. Development time for each instar ranges from 4 to 14 days, with higher temperatures accelerating growth.
Key stages of the reproductive cycle:
- Male pierces female abdomen («traumatic insemination»).
- Sperm stored in spermalege.
- Female oviposits 1–5 eggs daily.
- Eggs incubate 6–10 days, then hatch.
- Nymphs undergo five blood‑meal‑dependent molts.
Under optimal conditions (warm temperature, abundant hosts), a population can double in 2–3 weeks, leading to rapid infestation if unchecked.