How Long Can Bed Bugs Live In An Empty House

Bed bugs are the tiny type of insects that live can on feeding the blood of humans, pets, or animals.  They cannot fly but move very quickly from one place to another. Taking their food away from them can starve them to death.

So, how long can bed bugs live in an empty house depends on multiple factors? Usually, a bed bug can live without feeding the blood for a long time. A bedbug can stay about a year without having any kind of food. It actually depends on the temperature inside. A cold and comfortable temperature is preferred by the bed bugs. But in a freezing or extreme hot temperature, they can die in just a month.

Can bed bugs live without feeding?

Bed bugs can live without feeding for about a year. It depends on the age & temperature. When an immature bed bug is hatched from an egg, it goes through several stages before they become a matured one. During these several stages, they must feed themselves and molt. Even the amount of their feed should be more than the adults. Without blood, they can survive for a week.

But for the adult bed bugs, the calculation is quite different. A matured bed bug can live without food very easily. They tend to lose 1/3rd of their weight, hibernate over the cold temperatures. When there is a scarcity of food, the adult bugs move into the semi-hibernation state and start conserving energy.

Temperature is an important factor that plays its role in how long a bed bug can survive. The hotter the temperature, the worse it is for bed bugs. It is extremely tough to make the temperature of the house freeze. But, making the temperature hot is not that tough. If you can make your house hot enough, it can kill the nymphs, eggs, and adults. Make sure that the hotness lasts as long as possible. Normally, at 50 degrees temperature, an adult bedbug can survive for about 400 days. At 65degree temperature, they can’t survive more than 275 days. At 81degree, they can live for 40-90 days. But if the temperature can increase up to 99degree, the bed bug will die in a month. 

On the contrary, bed bugs have the ability to keep themselves alive for about 12-18months, even if there is no food to eat.

Will Bed bugs die without feeding your blood?

No, bed bugs won’t die without feeding your blood. Besides human blood, bed bugs also feed on the blood of pets and animals.

If your house has got bed bug-infested, and if you are thinking of leaving your house for some days so that the bed bug might die of starvation for food, you are thinking wrong. A bed bug is not dependent on your blood only. If you have any pet or any kind of animal in your house, such as; rats or mice, the bed bugs feed on their blood too.  

A bed bug usually lives and prefers to live on a mattress. So, before going out somewhere, ensure your mattress is packed and sealed. It will not allow the bed bug to move from one place to another. They will starve for food, and ultimately, they will die.

In a fully empty house, a bed bug usually lives for a year and ultimately dies with the scarcity of food.

Can you monitor if there are Bed bugs in an Empty house?

If you left your home empty for some months and then returned again, you might be thinking your house is bed bug-free. But, sorry to say, it is not that easy. Bed bugs can stay for about a year without food. You will not notice bed bugs, but they will be hiding from you to their desired places.

Can the bedbugs be monitored? Yes, you can monitor them. Some ways to monitor the bed bugs are mentioned below:

• Using Active Monitors: The active monitors can encourage the bed bugs to come out from their hiding place. This is an easy method to find the hidden bed bugs from an empty room within a day or two. An active monitor named SenSci Volcano Monitor and Active Lures can be used. It produces a scent that is similar to the human skin. Thus the bed bugs come out from their hiding place and get trapped.
• Using Bed Bug Interceptors: The bed bug interceptors are used to monitor if there is an infestation. You can put these interceptors under your bed, furniture, legs, etc. Place the interceptors along with a piece of dry ice. Dry ice is one kind of solid carbon dioxide. The bed bugs are always attracted to CO and will come out from the hiding place by exhaling CO. Then, they will fall into a trap.

How can you treat Bed bugs in an Empty house?

If you are going to move to an empty house that might have bed bugs, then your first duty is to take the necessary steps to eradicate them as soon as possible. While the bed bugs are in a semi-hibernation state and hidden in unknown places, it is the best time to start your treatment. The most effective way of treatment is the “Whole House Treatment.”

Whole House Heat treatment is the best solution to kill bed bugs, nymph, and their eggs quickly. The pest company will heat the home at a fairly low temperature between 119degree to 125degree that will last for an hour. They may also place some special equipment around the home and will closely watch and ensure whether there is enough heat in the air to kill bed bugs. They may extend the heating time as per their need. The temperature should be hot enough to cause damage. Remember that the cost of this treatment may be more than some other ways of treatment.

Besides the above-mentioned treatment, you can use a Traditional Insecticide treatment too. Using the traditional insecticide treatment, the amount of time it will take to finish may vary. The pest control team will come for initial treatment first, i.e., they will apply the insecticide to your entire home. Due to this, most of the adults and nymphs will die within a couple of hours. After the initial treatment, the pest control company will again come after a week or two to kill the remaining bed bugs and their eggs. Hence, often multiple treatments are needed, and that takes a longer time to get rid of bed bugs.

You can also treat the bed bugs by yourself. Just you have to buy everything the professional uses. It will be a lengthier process. So, it is recommended to perform the treatment with the help of pest control teams.

Why it is hard to get rid of Bed bugs:

Bad bugs increase very rapidly. A bad bug population doubles every 16days under a comfortable cold temperature. The lifestyle of bed bugs is a kind of secret. When it is nighttime, the bed bug becomes active, and they start moving from one place to another in search of meals. They keep themselves busy roaming. Sometimes, it gathers in mattresses, old frames, headboards, and side tables. After you have done treatment to completely get rid of bed bugs and if still, a female pregnant bug remains, the infestation will again begin just after the birth of more bed bugs.  So, it is really hard to get rid of bed bugs.

Conclusion:

The bed bugs are not fond of dying, and therefore, how long can bed bugs live in an empty house actually depends mainly on the age of the bed bugs and the temperature of the house. Bed bugs can live for about one 1year inside an empty house without any kind of food if the temperature is comfortable for them.

A bed bug not only feeds human blood but also the blood of pets and animals. Using active monitors and taking preventive measures can get you rid of bed bugs. After preventing the bed bugs, it is not like that; you are totally free. They may return again by hitching a lift on your luggage, clothes, etc.