THE COMMON BEDBUG 115 



the nymphs molt and grow they become darker and darker 

 in color. Marlatt pointed out that the periods between 

 the molts vary greatly with the amount of blood the 

 nymphs obtain. Girault showed that well-fed nymphs 

 passed through their molts and became adults in 35 to 48 

 days, while those poorly fed took from 78 to 156 days for 

 their development. 



Marlatt says that under the most favorable conditions 

 an average period of about eight days occurs between 

 moltings and between the laying of the eggs and their 

 hatching, thus giving about seven weeks as the period 

 from egg to adult insect. It would seem that ordinarily 

 a bug feeds but once between each molt. In this event, 

 each one punctures its host at least five times before be- 

 coming an adult. The adult female probably punctures 

 its host several times before the egg-laying period is 

 finished. 



DOES THE BEDBUG INFEST ANIMALS OTHER THAN MAN? 



Many persons feel very sure that the bedbug is found on 

 swallows and that houses may become infested with these 

 pests from the nests of swallows and swifts. It is true that 

 swallows and chimney swifts are infested with a bug 

 very similar in appearance to a bedbug, but it is a species 

 distinct from the latter. Occasionally, these swallow 

 bugs get into dwellings and cause a great deal of worry to 

 housekeepers. In one case, a correspondent writes that 

 the bugs from swifts that had taken up their abode in the 

 chimney of the house invaded a sleeping room in great 

 numbers and severely attacked the occupant of the bed. 

 In a careful search next day, however, none of the bugs 



