Bed bugs are found in all parts of the world, so the United States is no exception. This insect turns out to be very annoying, especially when it wants to become a visitor. Most people have seen bed bugs as they can adapt to different weather conditions.
It is not good to have Bed Bug inside your home since being one, means that there may be many more, and an infestation can occur. Bed bugs take advantage of coming out, especially at night, to bite the homeowners they are invading. If you have these pesky insects in your home, you will surely want to get rid of them.
Many people noticing the presence of bed bugs in their home decide to leave for a few days so that the bed bugs starve or have to go in search of another host. You must be clear that these insects can cause a lot of discomfort in your home.
Knowing how long bed bugs can survive without a host will allow you to take the most appropriate steps to control this insect.
What Is Bed Bug Hibernation?
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Bed bugs are part of the ectoparasites group since they usually live inside the home of their host. These insects are nocturnal, and it isn’t easy to catch them quickly. It is a myth that bed bugs fall asleep all winter and wake up in spring.
It is true that bed bugs, like humans, seek to stay at a temperature that maintains a similar range. If bed bugs have chosen your home to live in, they feel comfortable with its controlled temperature. By feeling comfortable, they will be able to stay in your home for a long time.
If you do not look for a solution to get rid of bed bugs in your home, they may remain for a long time until they multiply. One of the defining characteristics of bed bugs is their resistance, as they may be able to survive in freezing temperatures.
When the climatic temperature is very low, the bed bugs will enter a state of hibernation. During hibernation, adult bed bugs will survive for several months without the need to feed. Bedbugs have a preference for winter:
Humans go out little during winter, and their home is in a warm environment.
During winter, people use their clothes and bedding thicker than usual, making it an exact place for bed bugs to hide.
How Does A Bed Bug Feed?
Although bed bugs cannot chew, they have a proboscis-shaped needle in their mouth with which they can pierce your skin, and even reach your blood vessels. When bed bugs go to feed, they first excrete large amounts of saliva, which will act as an analgesic component.
This analgesic component numbs the nerves of the skin so that the person who itches does not feel anything. Bed bug saliva can also act as a blood thinner to keep blood flowing while it feeds. To feed the bed bugs on any occasion, they will prefer blood.
Blood is needed for bed bugs:
- To move
- For the development of their sexual maturity
- For the development of their eggs
Blood contains nutrients and proteins that are critical to bed bug survival. When it comes to feeding, bed bugs will prefer the blood of humans. This attraction to humans is due to the heat emitted by the body. And also, to the carbon dioxide that people exhale.
Small bed bugs are called nymphs, and for their development, they need to feed on blood at least once a day. The nymphs can take around 5 minutes to feed and then move away to digest away from their host.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Naturally
The Conditions Affecting The Survivability Of Bed Bugs
The climatic temperature is important so that bed bugs can have stable survival conditions. When temperatures are low, this insect becomes more resistant to fasting. Resistance to fasting will depend on the type of bed bug since laboratory bugs are stronger than wild bugs.
Some bed bugs have become resistant to insecticides and may find better conditions to survive. The survival time of bed bugs can vary and largely depends on the climatic temperature in which they are. For a bed bug to survive for a long time, it is not as easy as it seems:
- Bed bugs have to compete with other bed bugs to survive.
- They are exposed to chemicals with which they can die.
- They can be squashed while they are feeding.
- They must face other insects.
Bed bugs belonging to the female sex die faster than male bed bugs due to traumatic insemination. As the temperature rises, the faster the development of bed bugs will occur. Large populations of bed bugs can survive for a long time if they find a cozy place.
How Can Long Bed Bugs Live Without A Host?
For most people, having bed bugs inside the home becomes great stress as they can survive for a long time. When bed bugs don’t have a host nearby, they can still live for several months, even a year. Similarly, there will be other factors that will interfere with the life span of bed bugs.
When bed bugs are adults, they can survive much longer than nymphs, which are young bugs. The fact that the larvae do not have a host nearby will not prevent them from developing into adulthood when nymphs do not feed, the time they need to reach maturity is reduced.
Nymphs can become adult bed bugs in as little as a month, but as insects, they can be very weak. The temperature of the climate will also play a very important role so that bed bugs can survive without the need to have a host nearby. The increase in temperature will decrease the survival time of bed bugs without a host.
For bed bugs, blood is their only food and should preferably be human. That is why they are looking for homes to live in and have a host nearby whenever they need to feed. This insect can survive a long time without feeding, so it can do so once a day.
Blood is essential for bed bugs to feed and to obtain the necessary nutrients for their sexual development. The development of the eggs will also take place efficiently if the bed bugs feed on blood.
Although bed bugs do not chew if they have a very sharp needle in their mouth with which they can penetrate the skin and blood vessels.
