Baby bedbugs are major signs of an infestation outbreak when unchecked.
It all starts with you visiting your “infested” neighbors and “carrying” these tiny creatures back to your house.
How do you know if you brought bedbugs home? – check out my previous article that details different ways to know if you brought bedbugs home-click here
Or probably you’re not the one to blame- it could be possible that your friend brought bedbugs in your home- click here
What Does Baby Bedbugs Look Like?
A baby bedbug is a tiny creature the size of a grain of uncooked rice.
Though they are tiny, you can still see them with the naked eye.
You will normally find them clustered together, especially when you try to touch them.
You can also find them surrounded by their eggshells after hatching.
Baby bed bugs are called nymphs. Nymphs are flat and white, and they have a soft shell that is easy to crash with a finger.
Because of their small appearance, it may be hard to spot them unless you pay close attention.
There is no major difference between a nymph and an adult bed bug. (Source)
When a nymph feeds on human blood and becomes full, its abdomens will expand to full size, explaining why you may not differentiate between a baby bed bug and an adult one.
Once fed, the bed bugs expand and appear like a capsule with segmented bodies filled with microscopic hairs.
The bed bugs crawl around easily in the house on different surfaces such as furniture and mattresses.
You can smell them from afar when you disturb their peace.
The presence of nymphs in your home shows an infestation of bed bugs that you need to deal with as soon as possible.
How Small Are Baby Bedbugs?
Baby bed bugs eggs are about 1mm in size.
Those that have hatched are not different from their eggs, and they appear like grains of rice.
To understand more about the baby bed bug, you need to know its development stages.
A bed bug normally undergoes three development stages in its lifetime.
They start as tiny eggs, then hatch to nymphs before molting five times to become adults.
During these stages, the bed bugs will have different sizes.
When hatched, the baby bed bugs have a size similar to sesame seeds, which quickly grow as it feeds.
An adult bed bug is between 1/4″ to 3/8 long that is between five and nine millimeters.
A baby bed bug, on the other hand, is quite smaller than that.
Though a baby bed bug resembles an adult, it is much smaller.
You may miss them if you are not keen when looking or don’t know what you are looking for.
Exterminators will tell you that baby bed bugs are tiny, which is why you need them to know if you have an infestation.
Remember spotting a baby bed bag is a sign that there is an infestation in your home.
You should therefore think of ways to get rid of them.
How Long Can Baby Bedbugs Live Without Feeding?
Certain reports have shown that bed bugs could survive in an empty room for months.
How long a bed bugs survive will depend on the room’s temperature, how active they are, and what they have been exposed to.
A baby bed bug cannot survive without food long after it has hatched.
On the other hand, adult bed bugs have a higher chance of surviving without food for a while.
However, other reports have also shown that nymphs can stay for a few weeks without a blood meal but no longer like adult bed bugs.
Research has shown that bed bugs can survive up to 10 months in homes after people have moved out.
If the bed bug comes across a host and feeds, it will have a higher chance of surviving longer.
How long it feeds will depend on the last time it ate and the amount of blood it consumed.
Once the bed bug has fed and becomes full, it will go back to its hiding place and hide there.
A typical bed bug feeds typically after three or seven days.
Several people have confessed that adding stress to an empty room increases the bed bugs’ chances of dying pretty quickly.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should choose starvation as a method of getting rid of the bed bugs in your home.
The reason behind this is, they could crawl out to the nearby occupied buildings and cause an infestation.
What Color Are Baby Bedbugs?
If you want to differentiate bed bugs from other pests, you need to pay attention to how they look, particularly in terms of color.
Some pests resemble bed bugs, so it is important to know what you are looking for before jumping for the bug spray near you.
A nymph is translucent. It has a white or a light yellow-brown color when they have not to feed in a while.
After feeding, they will have a brown color, which intensifies their abdominal area.
The following factors will determine a bed bug color:
- Blood meal and how much it feeds.
- How much the bed bug feeds.
- Its peak activity level.
Keep in mind that some insects are dark brown, and they may look like bed bugs aren’t.
Remember that just because a bed bug has a dark brown color, it continuously sheds its skin as it grows.
This means that as the bed bug grows, it will have different colors at each stage.
Some insects that look like bed bugs are:
- Carpet beetles appear small, round, and brown in color, but they have wings.
- Booklice are similar to bed bugs. They have a white appearance, and you will mostly find them on your wallpaper.
- Some cockroaches, particularly baby cockroaches, resemble bed bugs; however, they have a cylindrical shape.
Do Baby Bedbugs Bite?
Baby bed bugs bite just like adult bed bugs.
When a baby bed bug has hatched, it must feed immediately to survive, develop, and then molt into different stages.
For it to feed, it must bite its host then suck blood from them.
A bit from a baby bed bug is similar to an adult bite because they all have the same saliva, which causes itchiness and pain.
A baby bed bug feeds on intervals and for a shorter period.
As soon as the bed bug has developed, it can stay for even weeks without feeding.
Some of the signs of a bed bug bite include:
- Clustered red bumps on the skin.
- Red bumps that appear in a line on your skin.
- Some red patches spread on the exposed part of the skin.
- Continuous itching accompanied by irritation.
- A small puncture on the bitten area show where the bed bug bit you
Some of the following tips should help you deal with bed bug bites:
- Antiseptic creams
- Corticosteroid ointments which you can apply directly on the skin
- Your physician can prescribe an oral corticosteroid to help deal with the symptoms.
- If your kid has symptoms of bed bug bites, you can give them an oral antibiotic.
How to Get Rid of Baby Bedbugs
If you have noticed baby bed bugs in your home, you need to develop ways to get rid of the problem.
Keep in mind that a nymph in your home signifies an infestation that you need to handle really quickly.
Some of the ways you need to try include:
Vacuuming
Vacuuming is an easy and simple method of getting rid of bed bugs in your home.
The method is important, particularly in areas where baby bed bugs have clustered.
Remember that vacuuming is not a guarantee that it will eliminate the bed bugs in your home. But it will help you minimize their numbers.
Laundry
Washing clothes, garments, and other lines will help deal with the baby bed bugs in your home.
It will kill the bed bugs, but you should also dry them in high-heat garments to eliminate any remaining bed bugs.
Also, remember to use a disinfectant during the wash to help kill them.
You can get a disinfectant in any store that deals with pesticides.
Heat Treatment and 91% Alcohol
If you want a sure way to get rid of baby bed bugs, then you should try heat treatment.
Heat is a sure way of getting rid of bed bugs when applied properly. You will need to hire an exterminator to help you deal with the problem.
91% alcohol has been shown to kill bedbugs- luckily I have written a guide on how to use 91 alcohol to kill bedbugs- click here