Effect of mating status on the fecundity of a cricket,Teleogryllus emma

Abstract Fecundity in some insects is affected by mating status. The effect of mating status on the fecundity and total egg production of Teleogryllus emma (Ohmachi et Matsumura) (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) was examined in this study. The results showed that the pre‐oviposition period was shorter for amphigonic females than that for virgin females. However, no significant difference in pre‐oviposition was found between amphigonic females and those that had mated with a male with either the phallodeum or testes extirpated. There is no difference in adult longevity between the above four groups. The fecundity and total egg production were much higher in amphigonic females than in those controlled under the three non‐amphigonic treatments. The females of T. emma that mated with the testes‐extirpated males produced more eggs (up to two‐fold more) than both the virgin females and those that mated with the phallodeum‐extirpated males, but there was no difference between them. The fecundity‐enhancing substances transferred from male to female can stimulate the female to produce more eggs, but this stimulation has to occur in collaboration with sperm.     

Effects of photoperiod and temperature on reproductive diapause in Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a potential biocontrol agent against Ambrosia artemisiifolia

Abstract To investigate the seasonal adaptation strategies of Ophraella communa to new habitats, the effects and regulation mechanisms of photoperiod and temperature on the reproductive diapause in a population collected from Changsha, Hunan were examined. Adults showed obvious reproductive diapause, which was regulated by photoperiod and temperature. At 30°C, there was no adult diapause occurring under either long‐day or short‐day conditions; at 25°C the pre‐oviposition period was short and fecundity was high in adult females under L : D 16 : 8 h, whereas under L : D 12 : 12 h, a few females entered reproductive diapause; at 20°C under short‐day conditions, all female adults entered diapause. The pre‐oviposition period was significantly prolonged when the pupae and adults were transferred from long‐days to short‐days, but the day length influence was not obvious when they were transferred only in the adult stage. However, the fecundity dropped greatly no matter whether the photoperiod shifted to short‐days only in the adult stage or whether the shift occurred in both the pupal and adult stage. The fecundity was extremely low when photoperiod shifted from long‐days to short‐days in both pupal and adult stages. This was an indication that the pupal and adult stages were the photoperiod‐sensitive stage for adult reproductive diapause. This was especially true for the photoperiod in the pupal stage, which has a distinctly significant regulative effect on reproductive diapause. Additionally, this article also addresses the reason for different photoperiodic response patterns in reproductive diapause induction between the Changsha strain and the Tsukuba strain (Japan) of O. communa.     

Effects of diapause on post‐diapause reproductive investment in the moth Ostrinia scapulalis

Diapause is a strategy used by many insect species to survive adverse environmental conditions. However, diapause incurs costs that may have adverse effects on post‐diapause development and reproduction. We herein investigated the effects of diapause on the post‐diapause reproductive investment of males and females in a multivoltine moth, the adzuki bean borer, Ostrinia scapulalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). We found that (1) post‐diapause males and females were smaller and had lower mating success than non‐diapause individuals, (2) post‐diapause females had lower fecundity and shorter longevity than non‐diapause females, (3) post‐diapause males transferred similar numbers of eupyrene and apyrene sperm as non‐diapause males, (4) the fecundity and longevity of non‐diapause females mated with post‐diapause males and those mated with non‐diapause males were not significantly different, and (5) no significant relationship was found between diapause duration (short and long) and post‐diapause reproductive investments in both males and females. These results suggest that post‐diapause males did not reduce reproductive investment in spite of the cost of diapause, and the significant decline in reproductive output in post‐diapause females was due to their reduced body weight and longevity, which appeared to be direct consequences of the cost of diapause.     

Differences in the pre‐diapause and pre‐oviposition accumulation of critical nutrients in adult females of the beetle Colaphellus bowringi

In many insect species, the differentiation of development between diapause and reproduction first becomes obvious during the diapause preparation (pre‐diapause) and pre‐oviposition phases. However, the differentiation of nutrient accumulation between these two phases remains unclear. We compared the weights of pre‐diapause and reproductive adult female Colaphellus bowringi Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and measured their triacylglycerol (TAG), protein, and carbohydrate content from emergence until they had fed for 4 days post‐eclosion. We also compared the ovarian development and accumulation of lipid droplets between pre‐diapause and reproductive adult females in order to determine whether we could visually detect differences in nutrient allocation. The weights of both pre‐diapause and reproductive females increased with duration of feeding. The fresh weight and water content of pre‐diapause females was significantly lower than that of reproductive females after feeding for 3 days post‐eclosion. Pre‐diapause females channeled their reserves into TAG in the fat body, whereas reproductive females converted nutrients into proteins and carbohydrates for egg development. These results quantify differences in nutrient accumulation between pre‐diapause and reproductive adult female C. bowringi, and provide clues for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying differences in the allocation of nutrients between diapause and reproduction in insects.     

Adaptive strategies of overwintering adults: Reproductive diapause and mating behavior in a grasshopper,Stenocatantops splendens (Orthoptera: Catantopidae)

Abstract To understand the adaptive strategies of the overwintering adults of Stenocatantops splendens, the mechanism of maintenance and termination of the reproductive diapause, the variation in mortality between overwintering females and males, and the mating strategy of the males were investigated. The results indicated that the adult reproductive diapause in natural conditions was mainly regulated by photoperiod in the fall – long photoperiods promoted reproductive development and short photoperiods maintained reproductive diapause, and the sensitivity of the overwintering adults to photoperiod was over before the end of the winter. When transferred from natural conditions to controlled laboratory conditions on dates from September through February, pre‐oviposition became increasingly shorter with increasingly deferred transfer dates regardless of photoperiod conditions. The adults treated with low temperature for 30 days in September through November had significantly shorter pre‐oviposition, suggesting that low temperatures in winter had an important role in the termination of reproductive diapause. The female had a significantly lower supercooling point than the male, which was related to their lower mortality after winter. In addition, observations of wild populations of the species indicated that mating behavior prior to winter and the duration of pre‐mating period were not affected by photoperiod; mating and sperm transfer were mostly completed by November. Compared with females only mating before winter, females mating in the spring had shorter life span, longer pre‐oviposition, lower hatching rate and laid fewer egg pods while showing no significant difference with regard to ovipositional interval, per pod number of eggs and nymph dry weight.     

Effects of mating rates on oviposition,sex ratio and longevity in a predatory mite <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neoseiulus cucumeris</Emphasis> (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Two aspects of mating effects on the fecundity, sex ratio and longevity of Neoseiulus cucumeris (Acari: Phytoseiidae) were examined in laboratory experiments: (1) females mated by one, two or three different males (unmated and 3 days old) at 5-day intervals, and (2) females mated by males with different age/mating status (number of females mated previously by the male). Females allowed to mate with a second or third male at 5-day intervals produced 39 eggs on average, but those mated with a single male produced 28 eggs on average. Matings with additional males 5 or 10 days after the first male increased the duration of the oviposition period of these females by 5–7 days and at the same time reduced the post-oviposition period by about 10 days. Overall, females with additional matings by one or two different males at 5-day intervals survived a few days shorter than females without additional males. Mating with a different female each day, a male of N. cucumeris could mate with 5–8 females, which produced a total of 85–116 eggs: females mated with a male during days 1 and 2 in its adulthood and with a male of the last 2 days of life (days 7 and 8) produced about half as many eggs as females mated with a male during 3–6 days of its adulthood. Females mated with males that are too young or too old had a shorter oviposition period and a longer post-oviposition period and longevity than females mated with middle-aged males. In both experiments, rates of oviposition remained similar in females with high or low fecundity. This indicates that in both cases, the increased fecundity is due to the extension of the oviposition period through additional sperm supplied by the second male and or third male (in experiment 1) or more sperm by males not too young nor too old (experiment 2).     

Importance of multiple mating to female reproductive output in Diaphorina citri

Abstract The importance of multiple mating to female reproductive output in Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is evaluated by grouping individual females with one or three males for 24 h (short duration) or 2 weeks (long duration) and examining oviposition over 18–19 days. For the short‐duration treatments, females lay more eggs per day when grouped with multiple males, whereas females in the long‐duration treatments lay more eggs when paired with one male. When held for 24 h with one or three males, females show a decline in fecundity beginning 10 and 15 days after mating, respectively. Total fecundity is relatively high for females paired with one male for 2 weeks, but fecundity is low and mortality high when females are held with three males for 2 weeks. In treatments in which females are held with males for 2 weeks, oviposition increases dramatically in the days after removal of males. For females paired with a male for 24 h and re‐paired for 24 h, 9 days later, fecundity remains high throughout the 18–19‐day observation period. Egg fertility does not differ among treatments, but varies over time in a manner that is similar among treatments. The present study demonstrates that, in D. citri, females require multiple matings over time to achieve high reproductive output, but oviposition is constrained by the presence of males.     

Reproductive costs of mating with a sibling male: sperm depletion and multiple mating in Cephalonomia hyalinipennis

Polygynous parasitoid males may be limited by the amount of sperm they can transmit to females, which in turn may become sperm limited. In this study, I tested the effect of male mating history on copula duration, female fecundity, and offspring sex ratio, and the likelihood that females will have multiple mates, in the gregarious parasitoid Cephalonomia hyalinipennis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae: Epyrinae), a likely candidate for sperm depletion due to its local mate competition system. Males were eager to mate with the seven females presented in rapid succession. Copula duration did not differ with male mating history, but latency before a first mating was significantly longer than before consecutive matings. Male mating history had no bearing on female fecundity (number of offspring), but significantly influenced offspring sex ratio. The last female to mate with a given male produced significantly more male offspring than the first one, and eventually became sperm depleted. In contrast, the offspring sex ratio of first‐mated females was female biased, denoting a high degree of sex allocation control. Once‐mated females, whether sperm‐depleted or not, accepted a second mating after a period of oviposition. Sperm‐depleted females resumed production of fertilized eggs after a second mating. Young, recently mated females also accepted a second mating, but extended in‐copula courtship was observed. Carrying out multiple matings in this species thus seems to reduce the cost of being constrained to produce only haploid males after accepting copulation with a sperm‐depleted male. I discuss the reproductive fitness costs that females experience when mating solely with their sibling males and the reproductive fitness gain of males that persist in mating, even when almost sperm‐depleted. Behavioural observations support the hypothesis that females monitor their sperm stock. It is concluded that C. hyalinipennis is a species with a partial local mating system.     

Mating and social contact change egg production and longevity in adult females of the mirid Lygus hesperus

There is frequently a tradeoff between fecundity and longevity, but the relationship is inconsistent across species and influenced by various exogenous and endogenous factors. Previous studies of Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae) established that egg production is promoted by insemination, at least temporarily, but little is known about the long‐term effects of mating and nonsexual interactions with conspecifics on egg production and female lifespan. To elucidate these relationships, survivorship and oviposition rate were tracked daily in females that were isolated or paired with a fertile male or another female throughout their adult lives. Mating rates were determined by postmortem examination. Results indicate that male‐specific stimuli accelerate female reproductive maturation, and that mating elevates oviposition rate. However, females paired with either a female or male companion had shortened lifespans, suggesting that social contacts exact a significant cost in this solitary species. Despite the negative impact of conspecific interactions and the finding that a singly mated female has sufficient sperm to fertilize a lifetime supply of eggs, many females were found to have mated more than once. Multiply mated females had higher sustained oviposition rates, lived longer, and had greater lifetime fecundities. Collectively, no strong evidence was found of a direct physiological link between fecundity and longevity, but environmental factors and mating were found to significantly influence both traits.     

Sex differences in nutrient intake can reduce the potential for sexual conflict over fitness maximization by female and male crickets

As females and males have different roles in reproduction, they are expected to require different nutrients for the expression of reproductive traits. However, due to their shared genome, both sexes may be constrained in the regulation of nutrient intake that maximizes sex‐specific fitness. Here, we used the Geometric Framework for nutrition to examine the effect of macronutrient and micronutrient intakes on lifespan, fecundity and cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) that signal mate quality to prospective mates in female field crickets, Teleogryllus oceanicus. In addition, we contrasted nutritional effects on life‐history traits between males and females to determine how sex differences influence nutrient regulation. We found that carbohydrate intake maximized female lifespan and protein intake influenced CHC expression, while early life fecundity (cumulative fecundity at day 21) and lifetime fecundity were dependent on both macronutrient and micronutrient intakes. Fecundity required different nutrient blends to those required to optimize sperm viability in males, generating the potential for sexual conflict over macronutrient intake. The regulation of protein (P) and carbohydrate (C) intakes by virgin and mated females initially matched that of males, but females adjusted their intake to a higher P:C ratio, 1P:2C, that maximized fecundity as they aged. This suggests that a sex‐specific, age‐dependent change in intake target for sexually mature females, regardless of their mating status, adjusts protein consumption in preparation for oviposition. Sex differences in the regulation of nutrient intake to optimize critical reproductive traits in female and male T. oceanicus provide an example of how sexual conflict over nutrition can shape differences in foraging between the sexes.     

Effect of mating on survival at low temperature in females of the Japanese common grass yellow,Eurema mandarina

1. In some insects that overwinter as adults, mating occurs both before and after overwintering. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the adaptive significance of pre‐overwintering copulation of females. One is the bet‐hedging hypothesis, which explains pre‐overwintering copulation as a preparation for less chance of mating in the following spring. The other is the nuptial gift hypothesis, which states that secretions derived from males increase overwintering success of females. 2. In Eurema mandarina, both diapause autumn‐ and non‐diapause summer‐form male adults emerge with autumn‐form female adults in the last generation in a year. Most autumn‐form females mate with summer‐form males before winter, and re‐mate with autumn‐form males in the following spring. Because autumn‐form females have sufficient chances for mating after overwintering, the nuptial gift hypothesis has been regarded as the more probable hypothesis. 3. To test the nuptial gift hypothesis, the survival period was compared under short‐day conditions at 10 °C between mated and unmated females that had been reared on sucrose solution at 25 °C for 15–21 days. The mated females had significantly greater longevity than the unmated females, supporting the nuptial gift hypothesis. Body size also affected the survival period. 4. The results suggest that the nuptial gift is an important factor for the evolution of pre‐overwintering copulation in species in which females mate both before and after overwintering.     

Impact of mating on Anagyrus kamali Moursi (Hym., Encyrtidae) lifetime fecundity, reproductive longevity, progeny emergence and sex ratio

Abstract: The solitary endoparasitoid Anagyrus kamali Moursi (Hym., Encyrtidae) and the Hibiscus mealybug Maconellicoccus hirsutus Green (Hom., Pseudococcidae), were used as a parasite/host model to test the effect of mating on several fitness parameters, i.e. longevity, lifetime fecundity, progeny emergence and sex ratio. At 27 ± 2°C, 8 h light : 16 h dark, mating significantly affected the survival of male parasitoids. Virgin males lived longer (32.2 ± 9.51 days) than mated males (23.9 ± 7.52 days). Female longevity (40.7 ± 16.3 days for virgins and 36.2 ± 10.7 days for mated females) was not affected by mating. The lifetime fecundity of female parasitoids and their oviposition period was not significantly affected by mating. However, the number of hosts parasitized was greater for mated wasps (7.54 ± 4.85 hosts parasitized/day) compared with virgin ones (5.12 ± 2.19 hosts parasitized/day). This resulted in greater progeny production from mated A. kamali females. The progeny of virgin females consisted only of males, whereas the mated ones had a more female‐biased sex ratio. The lowest sex ratio (0.41 M/F ± 0.123) was attained when females had free access to males and were multi‐mated.     

Effects of delayed mating and male mating history on the reproductive potential of Leucoptera coffeella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae)

Abstract 1 Despite the importance of Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin‐Mèneville) in coffee production worldwide, there is a lack of information on its reproduction. This knowledge will help in mass rearing, and support the development of behavioural control techniques for this insect. The present study determined the effects of delayed mating and previous matings of male L. coffeella on fecundity, egg viability and frequency of female remating. 2 The highest levels of fecundity and egg viability were obtained from matings of 1–3‐day‐old females. When females mated at 5 days of age, there were reductions of 40% in oviposition and of 43% in egg viability. 3 Females mated with 2‐day‐old virgin males were more fecund than those mated with older males; egg viability was also low (18%) from females mated with older males. 4 Virgin females that mated with virgin males laid a greater number of eggs than those mated with previously copulated males. Egg viability decreased with the increase in the number of previous male matings. 5 Five‐day‐old females remated in greater proportion than 2–3‐day‐old females. Females that copulated with males that had previously mated three times had higher rates of remating than those that copulated with virgin males. 6 The results obtained indicate that 1–3 days after emergence is the optimum age for mating. The implications of these findings for the control of L. coffeella by synthetic sex pheromone are discussed.     

Polyandrous females acquire indirect benefits in a nuptial feeding species

The relative force of direct and indirect selection underlying the evolution of polyandry is contentious. When females acquire direct benefits during mating, indirect benefits are often considered negligible. Although direct benefits are likely to play a prominent role in the evolution of polyandry, post‐mating selection for indirect benefits may subsequently evolve. We examined whether polyandrous females acquire indirect benefits and quantified direct and indirect effects of multiple mating on female fitness in a nuptial gift‐giving spider (Pisaura mirabilis). In this system, the food item donated by males during mating predicts direct benefits of polyandry. We compared fecundity, fertility and survival of singly mated females to that of females mated three times with the same (monogamy) or different (polyandry) males in a two‐factorial design where females were kept under high and low feeding conditions. Greater access to nutrients and sperm had surprisingly little positive effect on fitness, apart from shortening the time until oviposition. In contrast, polyandry increased female reproductive success by increasing the probability of oviposition, and egg hatching success indicating that indirect benefits arise from mating with several different mating partners rather than resources transferred by males. The evolution of polyandry in a male‐resource‐based mating system may result from exploitation of the female foraging motivation and that indirect genetic benefits are subsequently derived resulting from co‐evolutionary post‐mating processes to gain a reproductive advantage or to counter costs of mating. Importantly, indirect benefits may represent an additional explanation for the maintenance of polyandry.     

Impaired sperm quality,delayed mating but no costs for offspring fitness in crickets winning a fight

The outcome of male–male contest competition is known to affect male mating success and is believed to confer fitness benefits to females through preference for dominant males. However, by mating with contest winners, females can incur significant costs spanning from decreased fecundity to negative effects on offspring. Hence, identifying costs and benefits of male dominance on female fitness is crucial to unravel the potential for a conflict of interests between the sexes. Here, we investigated males' pre‐ and post‐copulatory reproductive investment and its effect on female fitness after a single contest a using the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. We allowed males to fight and immediately measured their mating behaviour, sperm quality and offspring viability. We found that males experiencing a fight, independently of the outcome, delayed matings, but their courtship effort was not affected. However, winners produced sperm of lower quality (viability) compared to losers and to males that did not experience fighting. Results suggest a trade‐off in resource allocation between pre‐ and post‐mating episodes of sexual selection. Despite lower ejaculate quality, we found no fitness costs (fecundity and viability of offspring) for females mated to winners. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of considering fighting ability when assessing male reproductive success, as winners may be impaired in their competitiveness at a post‐mating level.     

Effects of male mating interval on spermatophore formation,transfer, and subsequent female receptivity and fecundity in the sorghum plant bug,Stenotus rubrovittatus

Males of the sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Matsumura) (Heteroptera: Miridae), transfer a spermatophore to females during copulation. After a 1‐day interval between the first and second copulation, males transferred both sperm and a spermatophore to females during the second copulation. However, when male mating interval was <1 h, they transferred sperm but no spermatophores to females during the second copulation. Therefore, the male mating interval probably produces two types of mated females, those with and those without a spermatophore. Mated females of S. rubrovittatus do not remate for at least 3 days after mating, even when courted, and lay more eggs than virgin females at the beginning of the oviposition period. The effects of spermatophores on female sexual receptivity and fecundity were examined using mated females with or without a spermatophore. Only one of the 40 (2.5%) mated females with a spermatophore remated, whereas 10 of the 26 (38.5%) without a spermatophore remated. Furthermore, mated females with a spermatophore laid more eggs than those without a spermatophore. These results suggest that spermatophores participate in reducing female sexual receptivity and enhancing female fecundity in S. rubrovittatus.     

Effect of age on reproductive attributes of an aphidophagous ladybird, Cheilomenes sexmaculata

The effect of both male and female age was investigated on certain reproductive attributes, viz. mating incidence, mating duration, fecundity, percent egg viability, ratio of reproductive and non‐reproductive periods and reproductive rate, of an aphidophagous ladybird, Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius). Females started mating at the age of 8 hours post‐emergence (PE) and males at the age of 2 days PE. Mating in the laboratory was a male‐dominated phenomenon. The mating duration and reproductive rate of 10‐day‐old females when mated with males of varying ages increased up to the male age of 60 days, and thereafter decreased, whereas, fecundity, egg viability and ratio of reproductive and non‐reproductive periods increased up to the male age of 50 days, and thereafter declined. However, when females of varying ages were mated with 10‐day‐old males, fecundity and reproductive rate increased up to 40 days of female age, respectively, then decreased. The ratio of reproductive and non‐reproductive periods increased with increasing age of females. Mating age for optimal reproductive output was 10J50‐day‐old males and NE to 40‐day‐old females. Reproductive cessation in males was recorded after 50 days PE, whereas in females at the age of 40 days PE. Higher mating durations lead to elevated reproductive rates. Delay in the reproductive phase was positively correlated with longevity. The results of this study may aid mass multiplication of this ladybird by identifying and promoting usage of adults of optimal age. Our results also enhance our understanding of the effect of age on reproductive attributes in ladybirds.     

Overwintering success in adults of the Japanese common grass yellow Eurema mandarina

The evolution of reproductive diapause is controversial in males as compared to females that must overwinter to leave offspring, because late‐autumn males can obtain offspring by pre‐overwintering copulation. The Japanese common grass yellow Eurema mandarina is suitable to examine the evolution of male reproductive diapause, because direct comparisons are possible between males that do and do not exhibit reproductive diapause. Approximately one‐half of males are insensitive to diapause‐inducing conditions, and emerge as non‐diapause summer‐form. Most autumn‐form females mate with summer‐form males in late autumn. Females that have overwintered re‐mate with autumn‐form males before the onset of oviposition. Because last‐male‐precedence is general in sperm competition in Lepidoptera, it is unclear why half of males emerge as summer‐form in late autumn. A potential adaptive benefit for emerging as summer‐form is increased sperm overwintering success, if autumn‐form females have a higher overwintering success than autumn‐form males. In the present study, overwintering success was estimated for both sexes of autumn‐form adults by rearing under seminatural conditions and a mark–release–recapture technique. Both approaches estimated an overwintering success of approximately 5% for both sexes. The absence of difference in overwintering success between the sexes suggests that pre‐overwintering copulation does not increase sperm overwintering success. However, a considerably low overwintering success may explain, at least partly, the presence of summer‐form males in late autumn. The degree of overwintering success might be more important than the sexual differences of overwintering success in the evolution of male reproductive diapause.     

Effects of delayed mating and male mating history on longevity and reproductive performance of the rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lep., Pyralidae)

Abstract:  The mating potential, effects of delayed mating and male mating history on longevity and reproductive performance of female rice stem borer (RSB), Chilo suppressalis , were investigated under laboratory conditions. Given the opportunity, RSB males copulated an average of 2.7 times, while females generally mated only once. Females were more severely affected by mating delay than males in terms of female longevity and reproductive performance. With increasing age at mating, females' longevity increased, while oviposition period, fecundity and egg fertility decreased. Mean fecundity and egg fertility of females mated 1 and 7 days after emergence were 251.3% and 99.2%, and 96.2% and 75.5% respectively. Both were reduced significantly when female mating was delayed beyond 4 days after emergence. However, irrespective of the first mating age and different mating history of the males, the results indicated that both did not result in a significant difference in the quality of their contributions to female longevity and reproductive performance. The results obtained in this study are discussed in relation to the potential effect on pheromone control of RSB.     

Fecundity,nymphal development and longevity of field‐collected tropical bedbugs,Cimex hemipterus

This study examined the fecundity, oviposition, nymphal development and longevity of field‐collected samples of the tropical bedbug, Cimex hemipterus (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). Under environmental conditions of 26±2°C, 70 ± 5% relative humidity and a 12‐h photoperiod, with bloodmeals provided by a human host, six strains of tropical bedbug had a fecundity of up to 50 eggs per lifetime, over 11–14 oviposition cycles. Increased feeding frequency improved fecundity. After feeding and mating, adult females normally took 2–3 days to produce a first batch of eggs. The oviposition period lasted 2–7 days before cessation of the oviposition cycle. The egg incubation period usually lasted 5–7 days before the emergence of first instars. The nymphs underwent five stadia (the first four of which each took 3–4 days, whereas the last took 4–5 days) before becoming adults at a sex ratio of 1 : 1. More than five bloodmeals were required by the nymphs to ensure a successful moult. Unmated adults lived significantly longer than mated adults (P < 0.05). Unmated females lived up to almost 7 months, but the longevity of mated males and females did not differ significantly (P > 0.05).