How long do bedbugs live?

Bed bugs typically live about four to six months, however they have been observed to live much longer in laboratory settings, particularly in cooler temperatures. Some research indicates that they can survive for well over a year. This variance depends largely on temperature, as well as how frequently they can feed.

Young bed bugs are known as nymphs. They are mostly indistinguishable from adult bed bugs, except that they are smaller and most translucent. They go through five molting periods before reaching final maturity, when they will be about the size of an apple seed (approximately 4.5 millimeters), and a reddish brown color. This whole process takes about five weeks, and there must be a blood meal before each molting stage can be complete.

After maturity, the adult bed bug will continue to feed approximately once per week. (This does not mean that you will be bitten only once per week – remember that there are a lot of bugs and that new eggs are hatching every day, so the bed bugs in your house could be in various stages of their lifecycle). But, they can live much longer – perhaps up to 400 days – without feeding.

Factors that impact the lifespan of bed bugs

• At 80°F (27°C) and with ideal feeding conditions, bed bug eggs hatch in about 10 days and bed bugs develop to full maturity in about one month
• At 64°F (18°C) and with ideal feeding conditions, bed bug eggs hatch in about 21 days and bed bugs develop to full maturity in about four months
• Starved bed bugs are able to live 5-10x longer at 50°F (10°C) than they can at 80°F (27°C)
• Bed bugs that have developed a resistance to pyrethroid insecticides actually seem to also develop significantly faster than non-resistant populations
• Bed bug populations peak in the summer, typically July-September

How long does it take for bed bugs to die off?

A lot of people wonder if bed bugs will ever go away. Unfortunately, bed bugs don’t ever go away on their own. Female bed bugs are able to produce up to five eggs each day, and up to 500 eggs within their entire lifetime. These eggs hatch in under two weeks and are able to feed on human blood immediately.

• One female bedbug typically lays 200-250 eggs in her lifetime, although possibly up to 500
• Bed bug eggs hatch in 6-10 days, and the nymphs begin to feed immediately
• Bed bugs typically live 4-6 months, although sometimes up to a year. They feed and mate frequently during this time
• Bed bug nymphs must have a blood meal before progressing to the next phase of their lifecycle. However, they can live for months without feeding.

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