What do bed bugs feed on and how long can they survive without food? - briefly
Bed bugs are hematophagous insects that feed exclusively on the blood of humans and other warm‑blooded animals, usually during nighttime. Under favorable (cool) conditions, adult specimens can survive for many months, with documented periods of up to a year without a blood meal.
What do bed bugs feed on and how long can they survive without food? - in detail
Bed bugs are obligate blood‑feeding insects; they obtain nutrients exclusively from the blood of humans and other warm‑blooded vertebrates. Host location relies on thermal cues, carbon‑dioxide exhalation, and skin odors. Once on the host, the insect inserts a slender proboscis, injects an anticoagulant‑rich saliva, and consumes up to 5 mg of blood in a 5–10 minute session. The ingested protein and lipids support growth, molting, and reproduction.
Nymphs must feed at least once before each molt, while adult females require regular meals to produce viable eggs. When a host is continuously available, a mature female typically ingests blood every 5–10 days. In the absence of a host, feeding intervals can extend dramatically, but the insects retain the capacity to survive prolonged starvation.
Survival without a blood meal varies with life stage, temperature, and humidity:
- Eggs: survive approximately 2 weeks under moderate conditions.
- First‑instar nymphs: up to 30 days at 22 °C; longer at lower temperatures.
- Later instars (2nd–5th): 60–100 days at 20–25 °C.
- Adult males and females: 4–6 months at 20 °C; up to 12 months when temperatures drop to 10 °C and humidity remains adequate.
The ability to endure months without feeding enables infestations to persist in vacant dwellings and complicates eradication efforts. Effective control must therefore aim at both eliminating existing insects and preventing re‑infestation by removing potential host access and maintaining environmental conditions unfavorable to long‑term survival.