How long can bed bugs live without eating?
Bed bugs could live for as long as 20 up to 400 days without food.
Our bedroom is one of the many places that we love to sleep and stay in.
But what if these comfy beds have bed bugs on them?
These bed bugs can ruin the greatest dreams while we sleep.
As much as we love to eradicate them, they could live for a long time without feeding.
Just thinking of bed bugs crawling on your sheets when you’re sleeping makes me feel itchy.
Letting them free will not solve your problem.
So we’ll have to know these bed bugs more to defeat them.
Bed Bugs
Have you ever seen bugs crawling on your bedsheets, pillows, or if you have felt bitten when you wake up?
When you sleep at night, staying comfy in your bed, you have these red dots in your body first thing in the morning.
Bed bugs might cause these red dots in your body.
The bed bugs could be a nuisance, especially if you are in the middle of a good slumber.
They may be wingless, but they could travel far by crawling.
These bugs are like vampires, they are active at night and they feed on blood.
Life Span
So, how long can bed bugs live without eating?
Well, these little vampires could live up from 20 to 400 days without eating.
They are very resilient creatures who are very good at maintaining their bodies while having nothing to feed on.
An average adult bed bug should feed on within 10 to 12 days to stay functional.
While nymph has to eat within a week to grow into the next stages of their lives.
Although, temperature and humidity could play a great factor in determining their lifespans.
Adult bugs have a higher survival rate than younger ones.
They could survive without food at low temperatures for approximately 400 days.
Whether it is hot or cold, these little itchy bugs could still survive.
They are very adaptable to temperature fluctuation.
These bugs could hide in many places like in your luggage, bags, clothing, and any leather material available in your homes.
Most of the time, they are seen in carpets and furniture.
Without knowing and being able to see them given their size.
They could be seen in our attic, walls, or under the bed.
They are waiting for the opportunity to get food quickly without leaving any trace.
They are easy to breed and can start infestation within a couple of months.
Making them a grave threat to everyone, most especially to urban cities.
Colonies
It is also important to know the bed bud colonies.
If you happen to spot a bed bug colony, don’t hesitate to find a professional to deal with it.
It is better to solve the bed bug problem in your home before it becomes a community problem.
Myths About Bed Bugs
Your grandparents might have told you some things about these itchy creatures.
I know just how we love to believe in them.
Here are some myths that we can assure you can rely on for the right information.
Myth #1. Flying bed bugs
Bed bugs don’t have wings; therefore, they could not fly.
However, they travel far places by crawling and hide behind ceilings and between walls.
Myth #2. Bed bug reproduction
Compared to the other bugs and insects, bed bugs are slow to reproduce.
The adult female bed bugs could only lay an egg a day.
It also takes time for them to grow, so having a bed bug colony overnight doesn’t seem to be possibly true.
Myth #3. Bed bugs only bite at night
That is where you thought wrong.
Bed bugs could also feed during the day even though they’re nocturnal.
If these bugs are hungry, they will most likely find where to feed.
Myth #4. Bed bugs live in a mattress only
Bed bugs could manifest in many areas of your house.
Surfaces like chairs and railings, as well as the ceiling, can be manifested by bed bugs.
Myth #5. Bed bugs travel in your body
Bed bugs don’t like body heat, and they can’t stick to the hair as lice do.
Since they dislike being near the heat coming from our body.
They couldn’t remain close to our clothes too.
These bugs would prefer traveling in luggage, backpacks, shoes, or any place away from body heat for a long time.
Myth #6. Bed bugs transmit diseases
Bed bugs could lead to various diseases, mainly psychological.
Anxiety and sleeplessness due to the bites are some of the most common.
Although there has been no reported incident of bed bugs transmitting diseases to humans.
These bugs are not disease carriers, unlike what mosquitos and mice do.
They bite, it gets red, and that’s it.
Conclusion
You may be wondering how long can bed bugs live without eating.
Especially if you have been away from your home for a long time.
But do not be too complacent since these bugs could still live even if you’re away.
It is best to know your enemies to know their weaknesses.
You might not know some information about them, so it is best to find and know the things about them.