How long does it take to get infected with bed bugs?

How long does it take to get infected with bed bugs? Bed bugs are small insects that feed exclusively on human blood.  Long lived and easily spread bed bugs secretive lifestyle makes detection difficult. Relatively few bed bugs start an infestation.

Bed bug infestations develop slowly.  At first very few insects are present feeding intermittently on the host and may not be noticed. Bites are sometimes overlooked or blamed on some other pest species like spiders.  Secretive adults may not be noticed as they feed on sleeping hosts.  Over time though evidence builds up.

In fact if a male bed bug is the only hitchhiker no infestation will develop.  Only female bed bugs are able to lay eggs.  A mated female can lay around 3 eggs a day if feeding is available laying more than 300 eggs in her lifetime.  Small white eggs are cemented to discrete surfaces near a host and hatch in about 10 days.

Bed bugs are gregarious and can be found living side by side in harborage sites.  Great numbers of nymphs and adults can be found together.  As these sites become more active females will migrate to areas of less activity to lay eggs.


Male bed bugs want to mate constantly with females driving them away.  This behavior is believed to be what makes  bed bugs spread out into new areas.   Large populations also use up more and more of the hiding spaces near the host and are forced to seek shelter farther from the feeding site.

Depending on the temperature it takes nymphs about 100 days for the five molts to occur before mating can take place.  Roughly 1.5-2 months are required for a complete cycle from egg to mated adult bed bug.  Adult bed bugs live about 10 months although without a host bed bugs may live over a year.

All the while the bed bugs are pooping.  Bed bug feces is little more that partially digested human blood.  Fecal spots form as the bed bugs move about and accumulate in and around the arborage sites.  Fecal spots are usually clustered and may have a small smear at one side ndicating the  irection of the bed bug’s travel.  In heavy  nfestations there may even be a discernable almost sweet odor due to large amounts of feces and aggregation secretions.  As bed bugs molt during the growth process the smaller old skin is shed and a new larger skin forms.

As far as a time table is concerned based on the life cycle  amount of fecal spotting and the number of cast skins noted the infestation was more than a year old maybe older.