How long do bed bugs live?

How long do bed bugs live? This question might trouble you if you are battling with a bed bug in your home. In this article, we will shed insights on the answers you seek.

Bed bugs are troublesome insects that invade the home, causing physical discomfort and mental distress. They feed on humans and mammals and sometimes leave behind extremely itchy bite marks.

One might wonder; what can you do about these bugs? How long do bed bugs live especially without feeding? In this article, we will talk about bedbug’s life cycle and the possibilities of even starving them.

Like other insects or living things, bed bugs pass through numerous life cycles to adulthood. However, their lifespan is much longer than many other insects. Bed bugs can live for up to 10 months on average and extend towards a year.

The life cycle of a bed bugs?

A female bed bug can lay up to 50 eggs at once. These eggs will hatch between six to seventeen days. These eggs are usually about 1 millimeter in size, just like a mustard seed. When the egg hatches, it is called a nymph. The nymph is usually about 1.5 millimeters and can grow to 4.5 millimeters in size. With the right conditions and temperatures, the egg can become an adult in about 37 days. However, a nymph in a warmer climate will become an adult faster than in colder climates.

The nymph will now go through five stages to become a mature adult bed bug. Nymphs need to feed more often because each stage demands that the bug molts or shed its skin. They feed on humans, cats, rodents, dogs and even chickens. However, newly hatched bed bugs can survive for a few weeks without food.

How quickly infestations spread?

The female bed bug can lay between one to 50 eggs at once and can lay as far as 500 eggs within a lifetime. It is surprising to note that a female bed bug can procreate with nymphs creating a new line of nymphs within days of laying the first batch of eggs. Therefore, it is important to deal with infestations as early as possible.

So, how long do bed bugs live? Bed bugs can live longer than most insects, but their average life cycle of 10 months is enough for a rapid infestation within weeks. They aggressively mate even in the nymph stages, which increases the dangers of letting an infestation stay for too long.

When you find bed bug infestations, contact the pest management professionals immediately. It is possible to deal with them yourself, but that only deals with adult bed bugs. Many home remedies for bed bugs only work on adult bed bugs and require contact. The pest professional knows how to combine treatments to deal with bed bugs at different life stages.