How long do adult bedbugs live? - briefly
Adult bedbugs usually live 2–6 months, but can survive up to a year if they have frequent blood meals and optimal temperature. Their lifespan drops sharply when they are unable to feed regularly.
How long do adult bedbugs live? - in detail
Adult bedbugs typically survive between four and six months under normal indoor conditions. Their longevity depends on temperature, availability of blood meals, and humidity.
- Temperature: At 70–80 °F (21–27 °C) the insects progress through their life stages efficiently, extending adult survival to roughly five months. Cooler environments slow metabolism, allowing some individuals to persist up to eight months, while temperatures above 90 °F (32 °C) accelerate aging and reduce lifespan to about two to three months.
- Feeding frequency: An adult that obtains a blood meal every five to seven days can maintain energy reserves and reproductive output, supporting the upper range of the lifespan. In the absence of hosts, adults can enter a dormant state (quiescence) and survive for several months without feeding, though mortality rises sharply after three months without nourishment.
- Humidity: Relative humidity between 50 % and 80 % promotes optimal cuticular function and reduces desiccation risk, contributing to longer survival. Extremely dry air (<30 % RH) increases water loss, shortening adult life to approximately two months.
Reproductive output also influences population turnover. A single female can lay 200–500 eggs during her lifetime, spreading them across multiple oviposition cycles. Consequently, even as individual adults die, the colony can persist for years because successive generations replace them.
In summary, adult bedbugs generally live four to six months, with potential extensions to eight months under cool, humid, and host‑scarce conditions, while high temperature, low humidity, or prolonged starvation compress the lifespan to two to three months.