Which came first, the bug or the egg?

While most bed bug infestations occur via spread or transportation of live bed bugs, it is of course possible to bring bed bug eggs into your home, especially if you are purchasing used furniture or picking things up curb-side.

Female bed bugs generally lay one to twelve eggs in a day.  In a ten month time period, one female bed bug can lay upwards of 200 eggs.  The eggs are deposited in protected places, within a close proximity to the host (you).  Common  places for eggs include interior spaces of box springs, mattresses, under wallpaper, behind baseboards, etc.  Bed bug eggs are "glued" to the deposit site with a stick substrate coating.  This coating makes it difficult to dislodge the eggs.  Eggs are white and generally around 1/32 of an inch in length.

Bed bug eggs hatch at rates dependent upon temperature.  Generally speaking, eggs will hatch in around two weeks.  The eggs do not need their mother present in order to hatch.  The eggs pose one of the largest threats, as many chemicals do not kill bed bug eggs.  This is the main reason why chemical bed bug treatments are generally spaced out at two week intervals.  Any eggs that are not killed during the previous treatment, will be killed during the next, before they are of size and age to lay eggs of their own.

Keep in mind when planning a treatment, thermal or heat treatments for bed bugs kills all stages of bed bug life.