Do Bed Bugs Go Dormant?
WouterIf you have a bedbug infestation, you might be wondering: “Do bedbugs go dormant?” The answer is that they do not feed during the colder months. The colder temperatures prevent them from searching for new harborages and food sources. This also causes them to lay fewer eggs. During the winter, you should keep your house temperature consistent.
Bedbugs are unable to survive temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit for more than four days. During this time, they enter dormancy. During this time, they will not feed, which is important since they need blood meals to produce eggs and sperm. This process can last for up to a year, although they can continue their life cycle if they are reintroduced.
Although bedbugs can stay dormant for longer than four months, they are less active during colder months. Since they do not breed during cold temperatures, new infestations are rare during these months. Because they are restricted to hiding inside their host’s clothing and belongings, bedbugs dormancy affects the overall life cycle of their infestation.
A bedbug will go into a state of diapause, or semi-hibernation, in order to conserve energy. In this state, their metabolism slows down and they do not feed. They may be dormant for months or even years, depending on the conditions of their environment. This period of inactivity is common in homes and businesses where bedbugs are plentiful, but they rarely enter a state of diapause when there are no hosts available and no blood source available.
