How long bed bugs live without eating

Bed bugs in the first instar, i. The scientists found that first instar bed bugs survived for between 13 and 36 days without a blood meal. As the bed bugs got older, and progressed through their life stages, they could survive for much longer. Take one strain of bed bugs in the study as an example. Nymphs of the Harlan strain, a strain which has been isolated since , could survive for Second instar bed bugs of this strain could survive for Their larger size meant that they had more nutrients in their system to draw from to prevent starvation.

Adult females most likely survived for slightly less time because they were injured from repeated mating attempts. You can starve bed bugs to death, although it might take you longer than you expect. The best way is to use a mattress encasement.

These fit around your mattress, like a large plastic bag. They zip up so that no bed bug can get inside or out to feed. The length of time it takes for them to die depends on the temperature in your home. If your room is regular room temperature, then adults will likely survive for between two and three months. During this time, they will initially continue mating as they presumably fed recently.

The females that mated within the past few weeks will also continue laying eggs for a short while. Blood meals are necessary to create eggs and sperm, after all. The point of a mattress encasement is that you leave it on your mattress for months and years on end. The problem is that bed bugs might not only be in your mattress.

They might be elsewhere in your room, too. There are several factors that can determine how long these insects can survive without food. Each of these elements has an influence on the method and time factor for eliminating an infestation. Perhaps one of the most well-known factors that determines how long a bed bug can live without food is temperature. In fact, many pest control specialists may recommend using high temperatures to deal with an infestation.

The reason that many people turn to high heat as a bed bug elimination method is that bed bugs are not known to live above degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, this is a general rule, and there are select bed bugs that may have adapted to high or very low temperatures.

This is one of the things that can make getting rid of an established infestation so frustrating. Now, if the temperature is anywhere between zero or degrees Fahrenheit, the bed bugs may decide to go into the state of hibernation that was discussed above.

They can remain in this state for quite some time and will stay there until the conditions improve. Of course, if they remain in hibernation for too long, they will eventually die. The other factor that determines the length of time between feedings is the life cycle of the bed bug.

Young bed bugs require more frequent feedings than their adult counterparts. A baby bed bug , also known as a nymph, needs to survive five different stages of development before it is considered to be an adult. While in each stage, the nymph will feed and shed its skin. After it completes both of these steps, it will evolve to the next stage until it has completed all five stages of growth.

Do Bed Bugs Smell? What Do Bed Bugs Eat? Do They Only Feed on Humans? Human Symptoms. Life Cycle. Do it Yourself. By using our website, you agree to our use of cookies to analyze website traffic and improve your experience on our website.

In a similar scenario, I have found live bed bugs in summer camps ten months after they were vacated. The difference in this setting is that the cabins were not heated over the winter, and the cold temperatures assisted the bed bugs in surviving longer than normal.

How long could they have survived? The world may never know…. Lastly, many ask this question because they have personal belongings they want to seal in bags or in storage and want to know how long they have to leave the items before they can use them again.

Unfortunately, this may be the toughest question to answer.