When do bed bugs die? - briefly
A bed bug generally survives 5–6 months, dying after its last molt if it cannot secure another blood meal; without any feeding it lasts only 2–4 weeks before death. Exposure to extreme temperatures—below 0 °C or above 45 °C—will kill it within minutes to hours.
When do bed bugs die? - in detail
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) die under several predictable circumstances, each governed by biological limits and environmental factors.
Temperature is the most decisive factor. Exposure to 45 °C (113 °F) for 30 minutes or more is lethal; at 48 °C (118 °F) death occurs within 5 minutes. Conversely, prolonged exposure to temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) can also be fatal, although many individuals survive brief freezes. In a controlled setting, a sustained chill of –10 °C (14 °F) for 48 hours reliably eliminates all life stages.
Starvation leads to mortality after a finite period. Adult females can survive without a blood meal for up to 6 months, males for about 5 months, and nymphs for 2–3 months. Once the energy reserves are exhausted, physiological failure follows, typically within a week after the last feeding.
Desiccation accelerates death. In environments with relative humidity below 30 % and temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F), adult bugs may perish in 2–3 weeks. Eggs are more tolerant to dryness but still succumb within a month under the same conditions.
Chemical control agents act according to their mode of action. Pyrethroids cause rapid knockdown, often killing insects within minutes, but resistance can extend survival to several hours. Neonicotinoids and desiccant dusts (e.g., silica gel) generally require 24–48 hours to achieve complete mortality across all stages.
Biological agents, such as entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana), infect hosts and produce death after 5–10 days, depending on spore concentration and host health.
In summary, bed bug mortality occurs:
- Rapidly (minutes) at high lethal temperatures or potent insecticide exposure.
- Within hours to days under effective fungal infection.
- After weeks to months when deprived of food, moisture, or exposed to sub‑lethal cold or heat.
Understanding these thresholds enables precise timing of eradication strategies.