Bed bug larvae: what bed bug larvae look like, how to distinguish and kill them

Reader Question:

Lily

I have faced bedbugs at home more than once. We used to poison them, and we did it successfully. I know exactly what this parasite looks like, but I only saw it as an adult. We sprayed cold mist, we did not look into all the cracks, so I did not meet the offspring of these insects. But recently in the apartment appeared very small bugs - they are transparent, the body is reddish, and the head is yellow. Somewhat similar to bedbugs, but there are differences (shape and size, color). So far I can't figure out which one we have, so it's hard to find a remedy.
If they are bed bug larvae, how do I know for sure. Spotted a few by accident on the frame of my bed, they did not have time to hide, I quickly slapped with my slipper. The only thing that speaks in favor of this opinion is the bites - they are identical to those left by parasites. No adult insects to be found, I looked very carefully. Tell me about the peculiarities of the offspring of bed bugs, please. Respectfully, Lilya.

The author of the portal answers the question:

Opinion of an expert

Irina

Zoology major, Department of Biology, specialization - entomologist. "Be faster than a bedbug, then success will come!"

It is difficult to judge whether you have actually seen small specimens of pet parasites without seeing the insects themselves. But the general description suggests that you are right. Let's sort out what bed bug larvae look like. They are small insects whose body length varies from 1 to 5 mm during their lives. Growth occurs as they feed - larvae also bite people, hence the marks on your body. The color is light - closer to a yellowish, light brown shade, but after eating bed bugs become red, the head does not change color. It is easier to fight the parasites at the initial stage of development than the sexually mature adults, because they have a thin chitin that is less resistant to chemicals.

In my material below, you will learn how to find bed bug larvae, distinguish them from the larvae of other insects, and eradicate them permanently.

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Appearance of house bug larvae. Photo of larvae of sofa, furniture, apartment, linen, bed bugs

Young individuals of blood-sucking insects are called differently. But all the definitions (furniture, linen, couch, apartment) refer to the same type of insects - bed bugs. Popularly, they are called so, given the habitat of the pests found. The larvae of bed bugs look almost the same as the adults of this species:

The body shape is oval;
After eating, the color of the chitinous membrane changes - a red tint appears;

1 pair of antennae, which allows bed bugs to navigate in space;
6 limbs.

There are also a number of differences between juveniles and adults. To fully form an idea of what bed bug larvae look like, you need to consider the differences as well:

body length: from 1 to 4 mm, but in fact such an individual passes into the nymphal phase during the first molt, at this stage the size of the insect is smaller (1-2 mm);
The coloration of the chitinous shell is light: varies from milky white to light brown.

Nutrition and typical habitats of bed bug larvae

Like sexually mature insects, the young require blood to feed. As soon as they emerge from the eggs, they must immediately receive a portion of food. This is the main prerequisite for development parasites. They will not be able to move on to the next stage of formation if they do not receive a portion of food in time. The frequency of feeding of such insects is once every few days.

Moulting occurs immediately after receiving a portion of blood.

Young individuals bite harder than adults. This is due to the not fully developed body: larvae do not yet have the ability to anesthetize the skin puncture site, as adults do. For this reason, they bite more painfully and the unpleasant sensations appear immediately, not after several hours, as after the attack of adults.

The young individuals near humans (their sleeping place) because they move more slowly than adults. It takes them longer to reach the food source at night.

Larvae bedbugs are found in parasite nests, they quietly coexist with sexually mature individuals: inside couches, beds, under baseboards, inside sockets, behind paintings, in books and other places.

10 exact signs and traces of bed bugs in the apartment 03 — Chitinous membranes of insects, adults and eggs of bed bugs in places where they congregate

Developmental stages from egg to adult bed bug

There are several main stages:

maggot emergence from eggs - body length of 1 mm, and the color of the outer covers is milky;
Nymph - the size of the parasite is 1.5-4 mm, the coloration is darker (from light brown to a more saturated shade);
adults - body length 5-8 mm, color of outer covers - brown.

The larval cycle includes five stages of molting. This is a natural process of changing appearance and acquiring new body functions. At each of the stages the nymph grows. A developmental jump provides the possibility of an increase of 0.5 mm (average).

Considering that during these stages the appearance of the parasite remains almost the same (except for size and coloration), one can easily imagine what the offspring of bed bugs look like at each stage.

How to distinguish the larvae of bed bugs from those of other insects. How not to confuse with ants, fleas, ticks, and cockroaches

Other insects can also live in the apartment. Among them the most common are: fleas, ants, cockroaches. Mites also attack people, but they are brought in on the body from the street, but these parasites stay longer on the outside. In comparison, bedbugs leave the host immediately after an attack. External signs of different insects to distinguish their offspring from the bedbug larvae:

Cockroaches: they are larger in size, the body is rounded, the back end is wider, and the color is darker, the antennae are longer, and there are wings;
mites: body rounded, shield on back, color of outer covers dark, number of limbs - 8, no antennae;

ants differ primarily in the shape of their bodies - oval, separated by a waist-like structure (a stalk connects the abdomen and thorax);
fleas: the body is more elongated, flattened not at the top but at the sides, the hind limbs are longer, such insects do not crawl but jump.

Favorable and unfavorable conditions

Domestic parasites prefer comfortable conditions. Nature provides for the possibility of normal development and survival when certain values of environmental parameters are maintained:

temperature: +20 ... +30°C, with a decrease the development is inhibited, and with an increase - accelerated;
humidity in the range 50-70, the lower the value of this parameter, the greater the risk of drying out of masonry, and at high humidity actively develop fungus, which contributes to the death of parasites.

Adult bedbug larvae, like those that have just emerged from eggs, cannot normally exist without food. When insects do not receive blood for a long time, they enter the diapause phase, when the organism does not develop.

As a result, the juveniles do not reach the imago stage.

Question and answer section

To understand the best way to deal with house bug larvae, you need to learn more information. If questions arise. You can ask them to a specialist on the website. An entomologist with 19 years of experience answers your questions.