How do bedbugs survive in winter? - briefly
They enter diapause, lowering metabolic activity and clustering in protected crevices where temperatures remain above lethal thresholds. This dormancy enables them to persist through cold months until warmth returns.
How do bedbugs survive in winter? - in detail
Bed bugs endure cold periods by entering a state of reduced metabolic activity known as diapause. During this phase, development halts, feeding stops, and energy consumption drops to a fraction of normal rates. The insects rely on stored lipids to sustain cellular functions until temperatures rise.
Key factors that enable winter persistence include:
- Temperature thresholds – Adult and nymphal stages can survive ambient temperatures down to approximately -5 °C (23 °F) for short intervals. Prolonged exposure below –10 °C (14 °F) is lethal for most individuals.
- Micro‑habitat selection – Cracks, crevices, and insulation within walls, furniture, or bedding provide thermal buffering. These sites often remain above freezing due to residual heat from human activity or building heating systems.
- Aggregation behavior – Grouping in protected pockets conserves heat and reduces individual exposure to extreme cold. Chemical signals that promote clustering remain active throughout the year.
- Reduced water loss – The cuticle’s waxy layer limits desiccation, which is critical when ambient humidity drops during winter.
- Delayed molting – Developmental progression is suspended until favorable conditions return, preventing exposure of vulnerable stages to low temperatures.
In heated indoor environments, bed bugs may remain active throughout winter, continuing to feed on hosts that retain normal body temperatures. In unheated structures, populations often contract, with only a fraction of individuals surviving the coldest months. Survivors repopulate the habitat when temperatures exceed the lower lethal limit, resuming feeding cycles and reproduction.
Overall, winter survival results from a combination of physiological dormancy, strategic sheltering, and the exploitation of human‑generated heat sources.