Thursday, 26 November 2020

Can bed bugs live without food for two years?

I'm reliving the paranoia of having bed bugs right now which has been triggered by an upcoming move.

Two years ago I lived in an apartment building infested with bed bugs and when I moved I got rid of everything I couldn't launder except for several bags of sentimental things that I couldn't heat treat.

They have been bagged up for the past two years, some with DDVP strips. The first year they were in a small tool shed and then the second year in a garage. Neither were temp controlled and I live in california where it gets dry and hot.

Well I was moving some stuff around yesterday and ripped one of the bags. In the bag looked like a dead bug that was dried out and crumbled when I touched it. I didn't get a picture but I think it was a bed bug.

My question is can they live two years and a month without a blood meal? So many sources online are so conflicting. The general consensus seems to be either 18 months or 400 days in optimal conditions. Though I've seen people on r/bedbugs casually say they can live much longer. I'm trying not to panic but want to be mindful before the move.

submitted by /u/mothman-76
[link] [comments]

source https://www.reddit.com/r/Entomology/comments/k1u8o5/can_bed_bugs_live_without_food_for_two_years/

No comments:

Post a Comment