How Long Do Bed Bugs Last Without Blood?
WouterBed bugs feed by biting the skin. When they feed, they produce saliva that acts as an anesthetic. This saliva is made by two maxillary cells. The bug’s saliva also helps prevent blood from coagulating. However, it can cause irritation and inflammation of the skin. If left untreated, bedbug bites can lead to infection and swelling. Symptoms of bedbug bites may last for up to a week.
The survival time of bed bugs depends on various factors. One factor is the age of the insects. If they are young, they will have a shorter lifespan than adults. Another factor is the temperature. In hotter climates, bedbugs will survive longer than in colder climates.
Adult female bed bugs lay hundreds of tiny white eggs during their life. The eggs are usually deposited on rough surfaces near their hosts. The eggs take about ten days to hatch at room temperature. The newly emerged bedbug nymphs look like dust specks and shed their skin five times before reaching adulthood.
Despite the fact that some bedbug strains survive for more than 130 days without a blood meal, they are usually not found in the field. The longest life span recorded was for the fifth instar of the BS strain.
