How Long Can Bed Bugs Live Without Food?
When you have a bedbug infestation, you are likely to be bitten almost daily. You may even think that the same bugs are feeding on you, but this is not true.
Bed bugs multiply in great numbers and can go days without feeding. To understand how long bedbugs can go without food, we must first learn a bit about insects.
Bedbugs are flat, oval insects that are about one-half to one-sixth of an inch long. They have a yellowish-white body and no wings. Unlike other household insects, bedbugs cannot fly but can move very quickly across a surface.
Depending on the temperature, bedbugs can live for months without food. At around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, bedbugs can survive without a blood meal for one to four months.
In this article, we are going to discuss how long bed bugs can live without food.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are insects from the genus Cimex that feed on human blood. Their bites can cause skin rashes. The bites can be small and not visible, or they can appear as prominent blisters.
These bugs are most active at night and prefer to live close to human sleeping areas. Although they prefer to stay close to people, they will crawl much farther to find a meal.
Bedbugs hide in crevices, folds, and seams. To check for these pests, dismantle the bed and look for dried bedbug excrement, shed skins, and reddish smears. They may also be found in book mattresses.
What Do Bed Bugs Feed On?
Bed bugs are creatures that live in beds and love to feed on human blood. They’re hematophagous, which means they only feed on blood, which is rich in nutrients.
Their preference for human blood is not uncommon, but some bed bugs will also feed on animal blood. They feed by puncturing the skin with their elongated mouthpart and four styles.
During the day, they hide under the surface of the bed and only emerge to feed during the night. Although bedbugs can feed on many warm-blooded animals, humans are the most common host for these pests.
How Long Can Bed Bugs Live Without Food?
A full-grown bed bug can live up to 400 days without food. However, the exact survival time depends on several factors. Bed bugs that don’t eat can go into a state called diapause, which is a kind of semi-hibernation. It allows them to stay dormant until conditions improve.
Bed bugs’ survival time depends on their age and the temperature of the environment in which they live. Younger bed bugs require more blood and may feed sooner if the host is still available. If they go for several days without feeding, they might not live long enough to reach adulthood.
Can Bed Bugs Survive 1 Year Without Eating?
The lifespan of bedbugs varies, but full-grown bugs can survive up to 400 days without feeding. The survival time depends on several factors, including temperature. If the temperature is right, an adult bedbug can survive for up to a year without feeding.
If the temperature is too high, a bedbug can survive for up to three months without eating. Some types of bedbugs can live for much longer without a meal than others. This means that the starvation method of getting rid of bed bugs isn’t practical.
While it may seem tempting to kill them by starving them, this strategy can make your problem worse. In addition to causing a serious infestation, starving bedbugs can spread their eggs to new locations.
