Is it possible to starve bugs: how long do they live in an empty apartment?

Bed bugs chose life next to a person to ensure comfortable conditions all year round. They do not have to go into hibernation in the winter, suffer from bad weather, and constantly be at risk of attack by predators. How many bugs live in such excellent conditions? Their life span is affected by temperature and the amount of food.

Bed bug morphology

Synanthropic parasites are adapted for feeding blood. Their flattened body easily penetrates into the cracks and avoids mechanical stress. The size of the imago is 4.5-6 mm, the larvae are 1-4 mm. The color of the insects is red-brown. As a result of evolution, parasites have lost wings. They find a victim with the help of their organs of vision and smell, their long antennae capture carbon dioxide in their breath. Bed bugs have adapted to the change of owners, they can feed on humans, birds and bats. Full information on the morphology of parasites in the article “Bed vampires or what do bed bugs look like?”.

How much does a bed bug live?

The average life expectancy of members of the family bed bugs is 12-14 months. Such an indicator is possible only in favorable conditions. In real life, parasites face many surprises:

• they are crushed while feeding and moving around the bed;
• bugs are attacked by ants and other natural enemies;
• disinfection of the premises;
• temperature fluctuates, etc.

The main factors regulating each stage of insect development, temperature and nutrition. They accelerate or slow down the metabolic processes in the body of the parasite, can lead to its death. For scientists, critical indicators of temperature and duration of a hunger strike are of interest. These data help in the fight against domestic bugs.

Hunger strike duration

It is widely reported that an adult bug can live without food for up to 12 months. During this period, its integument and organs become thinner, but function. The announced period is a reality at an ambient temperature below 15 °. In such conditions, biological processes slow down, which contributes to survival without food in an empty apartment.

Larvae can also do without blood. The older the age, the longer the offspring go hungry. Nymphs at stages 4-5 of development live without food for up to 18 months. The absence of bloodsucking for such a long period is possible at 10 ° and below. Insects fall into a state of suspended animation, which inhibits metabolic processes to a minimum. Recent studies of entomologists conducted in conditions close to the climatic characteristics of an ordinary apartment have shown that the period of hunger strike of bed bugs is 5-6 months. But this period is too long to use the method to combat parasites.

Information. In the body of the females there is a reserve that allows longer than males to do without blood. These are men's gametes stored in the organ of Berlese, and eggs. With a lack of nutrition, they are gradually processed, giving vital energy.

Temperature exposure

Climatic conditions are extremely important for synanthropic parasites. At a certain temperature, their activity decreases to a minimum. Insects stop breeding, rarely move. Their offspring does not develop.Inhibition of metabolism is observed at a temperature close to zero. Parasites are highly surviving in the cold. Lowering the temperature to -17 ° kills them only after 24 hours. Eggs at -7 ° remain viable for up to 1.5 months. It is quite difficult to get rid of pests by freezing.

Bed bugs are more sensitive to increased thermometer readings. Insects adapted to living in a temperate climate, so they are comfortable with temperatures in the range of 25-30 °. The life of a bed bug in the heat is reduced by 1.5-2 months. At 45 °, adults and larvae live for no more than 45 minutes, at 70-80 ° they die instantly. Boiling water and steam have long been effective methods of exterminating pests. Clothes and bedding are washed at 90 °, furniture is poured with boiling water. Effectively the use of a steam generator. The device quickly destroys parasite nests. Its use is effective and safe for apartment residents.

Information. The peak of room infestation by bed bugs occurs in the summer months.

Moisture effect

The only fluid that bedbugs need is blood. But humidity is one of the characteristics of a favorable climate. Parasites feel comfortable at a humidity of 40-60%. An increase in indicators leads to the development of fungal infections in eggs. A decrease in humidity dries the shell of the eggs and the embryo itself.

Insecticide resistance

Modern entomologists have established the effect of insecticide resistance on insect lifespan. Bed bugs, which have developed resistance to chemicals, live less. Experiments have shown that adults can starve for only 11-80 days. Experts explain the situation by directing the body’s resources of parasites to fight poison. They have no strength left to cope with a long lack of blood.

After disinsection for some time, you can observe live bugs. When an insecticide directly enters the body, they die in a few hours. Parasites hiding in the cracks will die gradually, as insecticide that remains on the treated surfaces enters their body.

Bed bug life cycle

Representatives of the order of Hemoptera are insects with incomplete transformation. Their life cycle is divided into several successive stages. Reproduction of parasites does not depend on the seasons, it continues all year round. Many generations exist in the apartment in parallel. The peculiarity of reproduction is traumatic insemination. The male pierces the partner’s abdomen with the genital organ and introduces the seed. It enters the Berlese organ, a unique formation in the body of a female bug. Sperm is stored in it all his life, in small parts it is spent for fertilization.

Information. Before laying, the female needs a 7 ml portion of blood.

Developmental stages

The life cycle of synanthropic parasites is represented by 3 stages:

1. The initial phase of the development of the parasite is the egg. The female lays them daily in an amount of 5 pieces or more. In shape and size, they are similar to rice grains. Length 1 mm, color milky white. Using a sticky substrate, the masonry is attached to a wooden or textile surface. At the top of the egg shell is a lid through which a larva is selected. The incubation period is temperature dependent. Heat speeds up processes, and cold slows down. At 25 °, eggs develop in 5 days, and at 15 ° - 19 days.
   

   Information. At the shortest stage of life, the parasite is weakly vulnerable. The shell protects the embryo from chemical and mechanical effects.

2. The larva externally resembles an imago; such a structure is characteristic of all insects with incomplete transformation. They have a flat body, antennae, bulging eyes, three-segmented proboscis. The integument is transparent, the color is slightly yellowish. The offspring inherits not only the structure of the body, but the behavior of adult bugs. From the first age, nymphs feed on blood. When saturated, they increase in size and acquire a red color. Before puberty, the larva passes 5 ages. After molting, it grows by 0.5 mm.In favorable conditions, the nymph turns into an adult in a month. When the temperature drops, the process stretches for 100 days.
   

   Information. To move to the next stage, the larva needs food with blood.

3. Adult individual (imago) - sexually mature insects begin breeding several hours after the final molt. Before the mating process, they go hunting. Insects are active from 3 to 8 hours. They make their way to open areas of the human body and become saturated with blood. The nutrition process takes 10-15 minutes. After it, the body of the parasite increases 2 times, up to 8 mm. The female lays up to 500 eggs per year of life. The masonry is hidden in inaccessible places, but near a power source.

How many bed bugs will live depends on the tenants of the apartment. The use of effective thermal and chemical methods of processing the premises contributes to their destruction at all stages of development.