How Long Can Bed Bugs Live Without Feeding? | Terminix

How long can bed bugs live without blood? The answer depends on the age of the bed bug, if it is resistant to certain pesticides and the temperaturerange it is exposed to. How long can bed bugs live without feeding before becoming adults? is the first question to ask yourself.

A newly hatched bed bug is called a nymph. Nymphs go through five stages before becoming mature adults. When a bug molts, it sheds its skin. Immaturebed bugs molt five times before reaching maturity and must feed in between every molt. For that reason, nymphs must feed more often. Despite their youngage, newly hatched bed bugs can still survive for at least a few weeks without feeding.

But if nymphs can survive weeks without feeding, how long can bed bugs live without blood after maturity? That depends. When living in warmconditions, bed bugs will usually try to feed at regular intervals. Adult bed bugs can survive for about five months without a blood meal.

Once the bed bug settles on a host, it will feed for a few minutes. Length of feeding depends on the stage of development, how much it ate last timeand how long its been since it last fed. After the bed bug is full, it will leave the host and return to a crack or crevice, typically where other bedbugs are gathered.

Bed bugs usually feed every three to seven days, which means that most of the population is in the digesting state, and not feeding much of the time.However, because bed bug infestations can spread so rapidly, it can often feel like you are waking up with new bites every morning. This can lead to highstress levels and a lack of sleep.

Dont let bed bugs get the best of you. A pest control specialist can help you kick bed bugs out of your house and keep them out.

Polanco AM, Miller DM, Brewster CC. Survivorship During Starvation for Cimex lectularius L.. Insects. 2011; 2(2):232-242.

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How Long Can Bed Bugs Live Without Feeding? | Terminix