At what temperature do home bugs die?

Bed bugs are incredibly tenacious insects. They can do without food for a long time, are resistant to mechanical stress and quickly develop resistance to insecticides. It is especially difficult to destroy bedbug eggs because of their dense containment.

But fortunately, they have their own Achilles heel - this is cold and heat. This is the basis for the physical method of extermination of parasites. However, in order to use it, it is necessary to know at what temperature the bugs die and their eggs die, and which, on the contrary, favors the development of bloodsuckers.

Optimal conditions for life and development of bugs

Having adapted to life near a person, the bugs pampered and lost some kind of ability useful for survival. So, for example, their development occurs in a very narrow temperature range from +15 ⁰C to +40 ⁰C. A further decrease or increase in temperature leads to the cessation of reproduction and their death.

Optimum for life and prosperity of bugs are indicators from +20 ⁰C to +35 ⁰C. Under these conditions, they actively feed and multiply, and the higher the temperature, the faster the development. However, this precocity has the opposite side. With an increase in the thermometer column, their life expectancy is reduced, they often need to eat. A prolonged hunger strike in heat conditions is poorly tolerated by adult insects and can cause the colony to die out.

Relatively easier to carry bugs short-term frosts. Temperatures below zero, unlike most parasitic insects, are not fatal to them. However, the speed of biochemical processes in their body is significantly slowed down. So, for example, already at +15 ⁰With the reproduction of parasites ceases.

In the process of lengthy research, the following regularity of the life expectancy of bugs from the ambient temperature was revealed:

• at +20 ⁰With life processes in the body of the insect slow down, it eats less, sleeps more and is able to live about 15 months;
• temperature increase to 30 ⁰C causes accelerated maturation, intensive reproduction and short life, the total duration of which does not exceed 9-10 months;
• the most comfortable for the development of insects is the interval from +22 ⁰From to +25 ⁰C, that is, normal room temperature. Under these conditions, they live for about a year, of which 1.5 months. goes to the development of the larva, and the remaining 10-11 months. insects are exclusively engaged in reproduction.

Interesting fact! Bedbugs can survive a long hunger strike, sometimes exceeding 1.5 years! All this time they are in suspended animation, from which only the smell of food - warm, fresh blood, can bring them out.

Critical temperatures

The survival rate of bugs in extreme temperature conditions depends on the stage of their development. So, for example, larvae more easily tolerate cold and heat than adults. Eggs have even greater resistance to temperature effects. They are able to maintain viability even with prolonged freezing for several days. So, at what temperature do bedbugs die at the stage of an egg, larva, adult insect - an adult? Let's find out.

At what temperature do eggs and larvae die?

Bedbug larvae have a rather flexible mechanism for adapting to critical temperatures. They are able to withstand short-term frosts at -22 ⁰C, as well as a short temperature increase to +50 ⁰C. At -20 ⁰With they can survive for three days. They suffer worse heat and die within a few hours with thermometer readings just above +50 ⁰FROM.

The eggs are surrounded by a rather dense protective shell, which protects the embryos from environmental influences. Thanks to her, they have a very high resistance to adverse factors, including boasting greater endurance than larvae to sharp temperature jumps. Embryo death occurs only at -30 ⁰C and heat at +55 ⁰FROM.

Advice! Since it is almost impossible to set a freezing temperature in an apartment with central heating, it is preferable for citizens to try to get rid of parasites with the help of hot steam. You can get it from household steam generators.

Critical temperatures for adult insects

We found out at what indicators of the thermometer the death of eggs and larvae occurs. And at what temperature do adult bedbugs die?

Bed bugs in the adult stage are relatively poorly tolerated by sharp temperature fluctuations. So, for example, they die in a couple of days at -20 ⁰C and instantly at +50 ⁰C. Cooling to +15 ⁰C causes a halt in the development of egg cells in females and stops further reproduction of insects. Interestingly, wild cousins ​​of parasites retain their reproductive function even at +9 ⁰C, which indicates the pampering of the domestic population of bedbugs and their loss of some survival skills.

Ways to destroy bugs with cold and heat

For a long time living with bugs, people noticed their vulnerability to temperature extremes and learned to use it in the fight against these parasites. In particular, the following methods of temperature influence on them exist:

1. Freezing the premises in winter frosts for several days.
2. "Frying" things in the sun.
   
3. Washing clothes at temperatures above +50 ⁰FROM.
4. Processing rooms and furniture with hot steam.

You can also iron the folds of clothes, as well as covers for upholstered furniture, or put a bag of contaminated items in the freezer. It should not be forgotten that larvae and eggs are able to tolerate cold for a long time, and the average temperature in the freezer, as a rule, does not fall below -18 ⁰FROM.

How to get rid of bedbugs using heat treatment, see this video: