Bed Bugs are known as very resilient creatures, as they will be able to live a varied range of temperatures from the cold to the hot. It is also known that Bed Bugs can also live without feeding. Of course, it will be hard for you to get rid of the Bed Bugs around your home, especially in your bed.
If that is the case, you may wonder how long the Bed Bugs can live without food in hot weather. Sure, if you really know that they cannot survive without food and also in hot temperature, you may get the solutions to get rid of the Bed Bugs at your home with those two factors.
How Long Can Bed Bugs Live without Food in Hot Weather?
There are two factors that determine how long the Bed Bugs will survive. Those two factors are the availability of the food source and temperature. Reportedly, the Bed Bugs will die quickly as within several weeks if there is no host available from which to feed on. Well, the host here is the blood, especially human’s blood.
Reportedly, the adult Bed Bugs can survive as long as 4.5 months under the optimal condition of humidity and heat before dying of starvation. Need to know, they really need humidity supplied through their blood meal to survive and once that is used, they will dry and die.
According to some sources, the Bed Bugs cannot survive for over 1 week in hot weather or if the temperature is above 113 degrees Fahrenheit. Below 25 degrees Fahrenheit, they cannot survive for more than 3 weeks. The point is, they can only live less than 1 week in hot weather without feeding.
Certainly, if your house accidentally maintains those temperatures for long enough, it will likely kill the Bed Bugs. It’s important to note, if the temperature rises above 30 degrees during the day and drops below 25 degrees at night, the Bed Bugs can still survive at all.
So, if you try to vacate your home for a long period of time in hope Bed Bugs will die, you will get nothing. Without the setting of temperature either in cold and hot, you cannot really kill the Bed Bugs at your home, though you leave your home. It can be certain that you will still return to a Bed Bug infestation when coming back to your home.
What Is the Ideal Temperature for Bed Bugs to Survive?
If you really understand the use of high heat or very cold temperature, it will result in complete elimination of Bed Bugs around your home. Well, the ideal temperature for Bed Bugs to survive is around 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature also allows them to most successfully reproduce and progress through growth stages.
Certainly, if your home is in the range of those temperatures, getting rid of the Bed Bugs will be tricky for you. Reportedly, both extreme cold and heat can really be used to kill the Bed Bugs, but the temperature should be intense to have an effect.
The Bed Bugs will move quickly at night and hide in crevices with their flat-shaped at the top. Since they can survive without feeding in an ideal temperature, it makes it very hard to kill them. However, they can hide in your attic, under your bed or inside walls, while waiting for a chance to feed and disappear quickly without a trace.
How to Kill the Bed Bugs in Heat Treating Method?
Since the Bed Bugs can be killed in very hot temperatures, why not try to use the heat treating method to get rid of them. If you prefer to heat them than freeze them, you can heat them to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. However, there are some other factors to determine.
What the best temperature to kill Bed Bugs triggers so many opinions and claims. According to RA Naylor and CJ Boase research at the University of Sheffield, the study found that all phases of Bed Bugs were killed when exposed to temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit, but the high of temperature is not always successful.
Based on some opinions, heating the items for a longer period of time will be able to decrease the kill point to around 122 degrees Fahrenheit. As long as you have the proper equipment, you can really kill the bugs with heat.
However, this is the fastest and easiest way to achieve if the items can be laundered. Here are some guidelines that Naylor and Boase gave in attempt of killing the Bed Bugs with heating method:
- Make sure to wash the clothing and linens in hot water around 140 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes. You can also put them in a dryer on high heat around 104 – 122 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes.
- Make sure to put a wireless thermometer in the centre when you seal items in a clear plastic bag in the sun. Well, it can get the temperature high enough to get rid of the Bed Bugs. After the temperature of 122 degrees is achieved, you can leave it for an hour to ensure complete elimination.
- Using a high heat certified steamer is another option to get rid of the Bed Bugs. However, the streamer will have an output temperature of between 200 – 210 degrees. Sure, those are perfect for treating your mattress, furniture, box spring and also items which cannot be laundered.
Additionally, the length of time when washing your clothes in hot water is a very important thing, as it will take time for a large bundle of clothing to reach the right temperature in the middle.
It is known that dry cleaning will also work to eliminate all stages of Bed Bugs from eggs, nymphs and adults. If the infected items cannot be laundered, you can still take the solar option. So far, killing the Bed Bugs will need a higher heat than the natural hot sun. So, don’t try to put the infected items outside in the sun for a few hours, as this way cannot kill the Bed Bugs.
