Outwardly, nymphs are very similar to adult insects. They can only be distinguished by their lighter coloration and smaller size. Nymphs have an elongated and slightly flattened body. Usually their dimensions do not exceed four and a half millimeters.
But physiologically, bedbugs and their larvae are very different from each other. The latter cannot reproduce, need frequent meals, are highly dependent on the ambient temperature, and move slowly and little.
How is a bed bug larva different from other insects?
Unlike ant larvae, the bug nymph does not have a well-defined constriction separating the abdomen from the cephalothorax. They can be confused with fleas only at the earliest stages of development.
The appearance of the nymphs
The size of the masonry depends on the time of year, temperature and weather conditions. Under favorable conditions, one individual is able to lay up to twelve eggs. Moreover, their number is affected by age, body weight and the degree of satiety of the female. Five days later, bedbug larvae are born. They look like plastic containers. Newly hatched young are immediately ready to feed on blood.
Stages of development
The grown-up nymph has to say goodbye to her shell, because it is not capable of stretching. This is what is the main cause of molting. After each change of shell, the body of the insect becomes increasingly dark. Interestingly, all transformations occur after the larva feeds on the next portion of blood.
Where do bedbug nymphs hide?
It should be noted that it is rather problematic to identify them. This is due to the fact that they feed in the early morning hours, when people are still sleeping. In the saliva of the larvae of bedbugs, there is no anesthetic secret, so its bite is always accompanied by severe itching and pain.
By analogy with adult insects, nymphs settle in various secluded corners of the apartment. They try to choose places with the most favorable temperature conditions. Therefore, most often they can be found in mattresses and sofas.
Features of the shell of the larva
The invulnerability of bedbug eggs is explained by the fact that they are hidden under strong protection. Their shell is resistant to the effects of potent chemicals. Liquid does not seep through its walls.
In addition, the surface of the eggs is immune to sudden temperature fluctuations and mechanical damage. If you try to break them with something heavy, then your attempts will not be successful.
The main difficulties that arise in the process of destroying nymphs
As mentioned above, bedbug larvae resemble slightly curved rice grains. If you look closely, you can see a small dark spot on one side. It is in this place that the exit for a mature individual is located.
How to get rid of bedbug larvae?
To destroy the larvae, you can use pesticides such as dichlorvos, karbofos and pyrethroids. However, when working with these substances, it is important to follow all the rules and ensure the safety of residents.
Also, the use of insecticides that sterilize insects can be a good solution. However, such funds are practically not found on the free market. As a rule, preparations, which include such components, are available only to professionals.
Experts recommend not neglecting the systematic wet cleaning of your home and checking the condition of beds, sofas and other sleeping places for traces of bed bugs. You should also wash your bedding regularly. And you need to do this only in hot water.
To scare away and prevent their migration from neighbors, it is recommended to keep birch brooms and bouquets of dried tansy in the house.
Bedbugs in the house are always a big problem, but getting rid of only adults is not enough, since
new bugs will soon grow from the larvae again
Emergence and life cycle of larvae
Unlike many types of insects, bed bug larvae emerge immediately from the egg, bypassing the pupation stage. This type of development is called incomplete transformation.
An adult female after fertilization is able to lay up to 10 eggs after 5-6 hours. The lifespan of a bed bug can reach one and a half years. It is easy to calculate how many offspring a female can leave for the entire period of puberty.
In this video, you will learn about the signs of a bed bug infestation:
Bed bug eggs are usually white. They have an oblong shape and look like grains of rice. The shell is very durable, resistant not only to the penetration of chemicals, but also to mechanical stress. The only way to kill a larva in the bud is pour boiling water over eggs.
There is a hypothesis that low temperatures can also destroy offspring. But in practice it doesn't work that way. Larvae are indeed more vulnerable to high and low temperatures than adults, but eggs laid in mattresses or other sheltered places may well survive this process by slowing down the development of the embryos.
The time it takes the embryo to mature in the egg can range from 1 week to 30 days. The more comfortable the environment, the faster the process. Then a larva appears through a special hole in the base of the egg.
The young generation of bed bugs are called nymphs. The newly hatched larva looks like an adult insect. It can be distinguished from a mature individual by several signs:
- the size is less than 5 mm;
- the abdomen is flattened and elongated;
- color from transparent white to brown;
- slowness.
Nymphs need food immediately after birth, and since they move slowly, sexually mature females prefer to equip their nests closer to humans, for example, in mattresses. For this feature, insects began to be called bed insects.
That's why, what the larvae of bed bugs look like, you can judge the degree of their maturation. Newborn individuals are usually white and no more than 1.5 mm in length. From the moment of emergence from the egg to the transformation into an adult insect, the nymph must survive five molts. As they grow older, the shell on the body becomes small, and you have to change it.
This process lasts up to one and a half months. With each molt, the color of the nymph changes until it becomes brown, like an adult. The size of the insect can reach 5.5 mm.
Habitat
The active phase of life in these insects is night. During the day, they prefer to hide in various cracks in the house and inside furniture. In the same place, sexually mature females make clutches with eggs. It is very difficult to detect them on your own, this causes the rapid spread of insects in the apartment.
Ways to detect bedbugs
It is not difficult to detect the presence of nocturnal bloodsuckers, especially if their population is quite large. You can do it yourself. For this you should:
- carefully examine the body for bites;
- sharply turning on the lighting at night - check the bedding (bugs cannot move quickly, so several individuals can be seen);
- observe the behavior of pets (cats and dogs usually show anxiety, refuse to sleep on the bed, constantly itch).
If the insect is pale in color and small in size, then this is a larva, which means that the breeding process has already begun, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to stop it on your own. Having found even one individual, measures should be taken immediately to treat the premises from bedbugs. If this is not done, then insects can become a big problem for many years.
Bed bugs are the most common insects adjacent to humans. These are insects with an incomplete transformation cycle. That is, in the process of development, they do not undergo such changes as, for example, butterflies.
Developing, bedbugs go through 3 stages:
- adult
First stage of development
Before looking at what bedbug larvae look like, let's discuss in more detail what bedbug eggs look like.
Outwardly, they may look like eggs of cockroaches and ants. They are light translucent and have an oblong shape, similar to rice grains. The only difference is that bedbug eggs have special caps on one side.
The incubation period under favorable environmental conditions, that is, at a temperature of 35-37 degrees, is 4 - 7 days after the laying of eggs by the female. At low temperatures (10-20 degrees), hatching occurs only after 30 days. At low temperatures (below 10 degrees) and high temperatures (above 45 degrees), nymphs will be able to hatch only after 3 months. At more extreme temperatures, the clutch dies.
Let's talk about where bed bugs lay their eggs. They can be found in hard-to-reach places hidden from human eyes. For example:
- behind the sofa or in its folds
- in an old bed mattress
- in old clothes that have long been gathering dust in the closet
- in the genital crevices
The appearance of the larvae
Bedbug larvae are similar to adults. The size of the larvae of domestic bugs is 0.5-2 millimeters. The main difference lies in their color. They have a light color, which changes in the process of their development. Once the larva hatches, it is white in color. Growing up, it darkens and eventually becomes brown, like an adult.
In the process of development, the nymph molts several times, changing the hard chitinous layer, which prevents its growth. Five - that's how many links one individual can make. Therefore, in the nests you can always find a large number of discarded shells and excrement. The larvae grow quite quickly and also quickly produce the remnants of vital activity.
In the photo you can see what the larva of a domestic bug looks like.
Nymphs cannot move quickly, so the female must lay her eggs in close proximity to a human in the places described earlier.
How do larvae eat?
Larvae, like adults, feed on human blood. Most often they eat when a person is sleeping, that is, at night.
As we know, adult bedbugs produce a special secret to anesthetize the bite site. After his bite, a person experiences discomfort only after a couple of hours. The larvae do not have this, therefore, during a bite, a person can often feel itching and some pain.
How to distinguish a bedbug larva from the larvae of other insects
Viewed from afar, they can be confused with the larvae of cockroaches, ants and other pests. But looking closer, you can clearly understand that there is a significant difference.
Bed bugs and cockroaches
Nymphs, they are also larvae, of bedbugs are much less mobile than cockroach nymphs. They also have a lighter color.
Bed bugs and ants
Their difference is the shape of the body. Ants have a well-defined waist, which cannot be said about bedbugs.
Bedbugs and ticks
Firstly, it is worth saying that the latter appear in the house extremely rarely, only occasionally do people bring them on clothes. Secondly, they have a different number of legs. Bed bugs have six, ticks have eight.
Bed bugs and fleas
Adult larvae do not resemble fleas, but very young nymphs can be mistaken for them. The color of the flea is darker than that of a young flea nymph. And fleas are more jumpy and mobile.
Fight against larvae
Methods for the destruction of larvae are no different from measures to combat adult bugs.
It is very important to accurately identify insects before starting sanitation.
Do not be under the illusion that you can only get rid of insects with repellents. Bedbugs are such insects that you will not be afraid of an unpleasant smell. Yes, folk remedies are effective, but only in combination with insecticides.
The easiest way to kill insects is with chemicals. At the moment, there are a huge number of different drugs of different effectiveness on the market. The most popular are:
- dichlorvos
- Karbofos
- pyrethroids
It is highly likely that after the first treatment, the insects will not completely disappear. In order to prevent an increase in the population, it is necessary to re-treat. Re-treatment is necessary in 100% of cases. In addition, in apartment buildings, one-time collective processing will be most effective.
With regards to remote northern regions, people often use such a method of getting rid of as freezing. Larvae are less viable than adult bugs, and low temperatures are detrimental to them. Therefore, carrying out freezing for 3 days with a temperature below -20 degrees bears fruit. But after all, where there are larvae, there are also adults, which are not so easy to kill with frost.
You need to kill pests wisely. Therefore, we advise you to contact professionals who will come to your home and carry out a special sanitization of the premises. Yes, you will spend a certain amount of money, but you will save your time, nerves and the health of yourself and your loved ones.
Useful information on the topic on the video:
Their presence does not indicate the unsanitary conditions of a particular room.. Pests can appear almost everywhere, including office and service premises, not to mention cottages, dachas and apartments. Bloodsuckers can be carried with household items, furniture, clothing.
What does a bed bug look like
The body of the insect is round-flat, about 5 mm long. The color resembles a red-brown blood clot. The integument is made up of chitin. There are 3 pairs of limbs, as in all representatives of the insect class. The head is armed with a proboscis for piercing the skin and sucking blood. Insects lack wings. They are waiting for their prey.
appearance of bed bugs, eggs and transparent larvae
|
|
- Eggs;
- Nymphs;
- An adult.
Full metamorphosis implies an additional fourth stage - pupa.
The appearance of the larvae of domestic bugs
nymphs are miniature copies of the adult. Transparent whitish young insects can attach to any surface due to the sticky secret that covers the body until the chitin hardens. Bedbug larvae molt 5 times until they mature. Each time this is accompanied by a darker color and an increase in weight and height. This process takes them up to 5-6 weeks. The same period is the answer to the question "how long do the larvae of the bug live", since after that they grow up and acquire all the signs of the structure and behavior of the imago.
Bed bug breeding
The fertility of insects is simply amazing. One female during her life lasting 14-16 months can lay up to five hundred eggs. Set aside in a secluded place closer to a person - folds of a mattress, furniture upholstery - they look like rice grains - slightly curved oblong with a lid on one of the poles. The eggs are covered with a strong and flexible shell that protects their contents from temperatures as low as -10 °C and high mechanical stress. Egg maturation lasts a week. The lid opens, and the larvae of a house bug the size of a needle's eye come out of the egg. Due to their inconspicuous coloration and tiny size, eggs and nymphs can easily be mistaken for household waste.
Therefore, to the question “can you see the larvae of the bed bug?” To the naked eye it is difficult to answer in the affirmative.
Before laying, insemination of the female must occur. This process is accompanied by an injury to the abdomen of the female, which occurs when the male pierces a hole in the body of the female and introduces sperm through it. This is not enough for laying, the female still has to get enough blood. The degree of satiety and the optimum temperature of 12-37 ° C allow her to lay from one to twelve eggs.
The larvae of bed bugs also feed on blood, and frequent vinegars at night are more likely due to their fault, and not their parents. Over time, an anesthetic substance (anticoagulant) appears in their saliva, with which the imago misleads its victims, and at the time of blood loss, the latter lose their sensitivity, which allows the bloodsucker to calmly get enough and leave the crime scene. But insects can also starve for a long time: adults up to 5 months, and nymphs for longer than a year.
Differences between bedbug larvae and other insects
To establish the species affiliation of an unidentified object, it is not necessary to be an entomologist, it is enough to know about some of the distinguishing features of the bed bug larva in comparison:
- With fleas. Nymphs are slow, and fleas are jumpy. With the same size, the latter are dark brown, and the bug larvae are transparent;
- With ticks, which belong to the class of arachnids and have 4 pairs of limbs, while bedbugs have only 3 pairs;
- With domestic ants that have a "waist" and a wider body without a waist in bedbugs;
- with cockroach larvae. Nymphs are not as mobile and lighter in comparison with cockroach larvae. Also, the latter have a characteristic light spot on the cephalothorax, which is absent in young bugs.
- Lice prefer the hairy part of the body when bedbugs avoid these areas;
- Fleas settle on animal hair, and for bedbugs, wool is a serious hindrance to feeding;
- Ants prefer places behind baseboards and under floors;
- Cockroaches choose places closer to food.
Where to look for bedbug larvae?
It is difficult to notice the nymph at the moment of feeding. She does this in the early morning hours, when a person is in the deepest phase of sleep. The bite of the larva is accompanied by pain and itching due to the lack of an anesthetic secret in its saliva. After the vinegar of an adult pest, itching appears after a few hours.
Adult insects hide in the voids of switches and sockets, behind picture frames, behind wallpaper, under baseboards, while moving quite quickly. Temperatures above +45 °C and below -17 °C are fatal for them.
Nymphs are less resistant to extreme conditions than their parents. Dry heat, as well as freezing the premises for several days, leave no chance for the population of bloodsuckers to survive.
Destruction of larvae of bedbugs
Methods that repel insects do not solve the problem of "how to destroy bedbug larvae » . They may only be effective for a short period of time. Bouquets of dry tansy or birch brooms are used as such means.
pesticides such as
- pyrethroids,
- karbofos,
- dichlorvos
are much more effective in dealing with them. But residents must be protected from their negative impact.
The best solution is to use an insecticide that sterilizes insects. It can be used as one of the components in a complex preparation for pest control. Only professionals have such trains, which once again confirms the expediency of calling specialists and the fallacy of trying to cope with the invasion of uninvited guests on their own.
But we must not forget that the eggs are resistant to pesticides, and the larvae themselves are able to climb into the narrowest cracks, which complicates the processing of such shelters.
As you know, bed bugs are insects that do not go through all the stages of complex development, such as butterflies or beetles. And it is for this reason that their development cycle is called incomplete transformation. The larvae that emerge from the eggs outwardly resemble an adult, or rather, it is its reduced copy. And in order for the larva to reach adulthood, it needs to go through five stages of molting.
At first glance, bed bug larvae resemble adult bed bugs, but differ in size and color. Another thing to note is that they do not have the ability to reproduce until they reach adulthood. So, the larva has a color from almost white to dark brown, depending on what stage of its development it is at the moment. And the size is from 0.5 to 2 mm. 
Bed bug larvae are also called Nymphs. Due to the fact that the Nymph is a copy of an adult bug, this group of insects is classified as an insect with incomplete transformation. If we recall a butterfly and a butterfly larva, which initially does not remind us of a beautiful, fluttering creature, then we will understand why in entomology larvae are called stages of insect development in which the larvae have a significant external difference from adults. Such insects include butterflies, flies, beetles, mosquitoes, ants and others. And they are classified as a group with a complete transformation.
- The difference from fleas is primarily in the methods of movement and size. Fleas are known to jump, while bedbugs are slow and inactive. Another significant feature is that the flea nymph is much darker than the bug nymph of the same size, which usually has a transparent color.
- First of all, the shape of the body of both will help us not to confuse the Nymph of the bug with ant larvae. Even the smallest bug has a body much wider than an ant, which has an elongated, oval shape.
- From cockroaches, as mentioned above, the bug nymph differs in the absence of wings and its smaller size. The nymphs of cockroaches are more mobile, and they have a color in the form of a light, well-defined spot on the cephalothorax, which the bug nymph does not have.
- The difference from a tick is primarily in the number of legs. Ticks have 8 of them, like all arachnids, and bugs have 6, like all insects.
Nymphs, like adult bugs, feed on blood. It is believed that their bites are more painful than those of adults, although they do not leave such pronounced red spots on the body. But despite this, no matter how big the bug is, its presence is likely to ruin your sleep and bring a lot of trouble.
Habitats of bedbug larvae and the main methods of dealing with them
Methods for controlling bedbug larvae are the same as methods for controlling bedbugs that have reached an adult state. Chemical insecticides such as karbofos, dichlorvos, etc. are effective means for destroying larvae. Of course, insects do not like such drugs and act detrimentally on them, but also they also have a toxic effect on humans. And if you have chosen this method of dealing with bed bugs, then you must follow all the precautions, and it is even better to leave the dwelling for several days during the treatment.
Photo where you can see the eggs and larvae of the bed bug 
Another effective method of struggle is freezing. Bedbugs are known to die at -20°C, and Nymphs are even less resistant to cold. If you treat the room with dry heat, this will also lead to the desired result and the bugs will die. In this case, you should be especially careful not to miss individual individuals that can hide inside the mattress or in the pockets of clothes.
First of all, you should avoid houses, hotels, where cleanliness is not monitored. Do not invite people who have their own homes infected with these bloodsuckers, so that this person does not accidentally bring him in the folds or pockets of his clothes to you. Regularly carry out wet cleaning of the house, check the condition of mattresses, beds and wash the bed. You can decompose bunches of dried tansy and birch brooms, the smell of which repels bedbugs.
