Bed bugs go through several stages of development in their bed bug life cycle before they can reach the adult stage. They go through a simple metamorphosis, unlike other insects that undergo a complete metamorphosis. Entomologists refer to young bed bugs as nymphs and larvae, but some non-experts assume that calling it bed bug larvae is more correct than a nymph.
More simply, bed bug nymphs are the same little critters that have not reached maturity. For people who are dealing with a bed bug infestation, knowing what these immature bugs look like will help in identification. This is necessary since these are the ones that leave the most evidence behind.
Starting from bed bug eggs, bed bug larvae or nymphs grow after each full blood meal and would shed their skins in clusters. When growing under proper living conditions, nymphs can undergo one stage for about a week.
When they reach the adult stage, adult bed bugs usually take blood meals every 7 to 10 days. All the adult bugs usually mate during this period, which is why it will not take long when your home is overrun with these critters.
Without a blood meal, the larvae or nymphs will not be able to go to their next stage of development. However, this does not mean that they will die without feeding. They can even last for months with a proper meal while adults can stay alive without feeding for over a year. The fact that they are also experts in hiding makes them more difficult to kill.
Although bed bugs that reached maturity are already small like an apple seed, larvae are even smaller. These bugs feed on blood as soon as they hatch through every stage of development.
As they go through every phase, they will look like the smaller versions of the adult ones. They will also change in color as they grow. They start as white or most likely transparent in color and then grow darker each time they feed.
Bed Bug Larvae Bites
Given that these bugs hiding in different parts of your home come out to feed, it only means that it is likely for you or any of your family to get bed bug bites. If you get these bites and cannot find adult ones, it is most likely that the baby bugs hiding near your sleeping areas are the ones biting you.
A bed bug hiding near your bed is most likely to lay eggs that will turn into nymphs after they get a full meal from you. Since these are not yet sexually mature, they will be focusing more on feeding instead of multiplying.
When staying in their hiding places at room temperature, they can become adults in five weeks.
Bed Bug Larvae Pictures
For people who are not aware of what larvae or nymphs look like, below are pictures of bed bugs nymphs that you can use as a reference when searching your home. Keep in mind that the nymphs may change in color depending on the current life stage that they are in.
This is an image of a larva after a full meal. You can see the blood inside their body clearly since they still have a transparent color at this stage.
In this image, the larvae or nymph is in its natural color. It is transparent with some yellowish parts like the legs. Bed bugs in these stages are difficult to spot especially in white mattresses, box springs, and beddings.
This is a side-by-side comparison of the two nymphs. One is full while the other is not yet fed. As you can see, an unfed nymph is barely noticeable especially under a similar color background while a fully fed nymph is like the color to that of blood.
The image above is another example of a bed bug larva that is starting to feed. Like the sample images above, this one has a white almost transparent color and a red spot of the blood ingested from a previous feeding.
Do Bed Bug Larvae Bite?
Since the nymphs require a full meal of blood before they can go through every stage of their metamorphosis. As they go through every stage, they must shed skin and grow darker in color. Since they must feed, they need to bite and pierce your skin to draw blood.
Getting bitten and waking up with bite marks are among the signs of an infestation and the presence of these critters. Though the bites are not known to transmit any diseases, people may develop different reactions to these bites. Others may not experience any side effects, while others may develop serious reactions.
Before these critters cause any health complications to you and your family, make sure that you contact a professional to address the infestation. When you start noticing the presence of younger bed bugs in your home, you must call for the services of pest control services.
Professionals will assess the level of infestation in your home and come up with the right treatment that will get rid of the bed bugs in your home.
