The thought of tiny bloodsucking bugs living in your home and hiding in your bed linens is terrible. So is knowing that there could be four new generations of them growing in your home every year.
Maturity
Bed bugs take between two weeks and six weeks to reach maturity, at which point be able to breed, according to North Carolina State University. Not all bed bugs in the same generation will mature at the same rate, so there will be bugs reaching breeding maturity in waves in each generation.
Breeding
Once a bed bug reaches maturity, it will breed and the female begins laying eggs. A female can lay up to 200 eggs in total, usually laying them in small batches over a period of days. Those eggs will hatch in six days to seventeen days, according to Utah State University.
Considerations
The breeding rate of bed bugs can be slowed. If the nymphs are not able to feed, they will mature less rapidly. At temperatures below 70 degree Fahrenheit, eggs take closer to four weeks to hatch. If the temperature drops below 50 degrees, bed bugs will stop laying eggs.
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