How long do bedbugs live: features of life, nutrition and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

Unfortunately, many of our compatriots had to deal with bedbugs at least once. The saddest thing is that these blood-sucking insects can start up even with the most accurate owners who spend a lot of time keeping their home clean. After reading today's article, you will find out how long bedbugs live without food and how they penetrate city apartments.

Short description

Those who are interested in how long a bed bug lives will do well to find out what this insect looks like. These parasites have a flat, elongated body with a triangular head well delimited from it, on which a rather strong and long proboscis is located. The latter is formed due to the fusion of the jaws. It is with them that the bugs pierce human skin.

The size of an adult varies from one to eight millimeters. Initially, the body of parasites is colored dark brown, which becomes more saturated as a result of the absorption of blood. insects,only those who went hunting and have not yet had time to eat can be recognized by a light red tint.

Unlike most "wild" relatives, domestic bugs do not have wings. In addition, all bed parasites are divided into subspecies. To date, there are about thirty categories of these insects. And they are all visually very similar to each other. Differences in their anatomy can only be seen by a professional, and even then only under a microscope.

Ways to enter the house

First, you should deal with this issue and only then think about how many bedbugs live. The apartment, which is located in a multi-storey building, it would seem, is not threatened by the invasion of these parasites. But in reality, things are somewhat different. Residents of metropolitan areas also suffer from the bites of these insects, which enter the house in several different ways.

One of the most common ways for bedbugs to enter a home are ventilation shafts. These small parasites are able to overcome fairly long distances and easily crawl through even microscopic cracks.

Also, they can get into the house from the street with animals. This is especially true for rural housing, since bedbugs often parasitize rabbits and goats. However, these blood-sucking parasites practically do not live on pigs and cattle, because these living creatures have too rough skin.

In addition, a person can bring insects on clothes that they got on after spending the night in a place infested with bugs, or along withpurchased furniture. Moreover, parasites can live not only in used sofas, but also in new ones.

For those who don't know how long bedbugs live, it will be interesting to know that their favorite habitats are gaps between floorboards, books, pillows with thick seams, upholstered furniture, window and door frames. Plus, they often hide under carpets and behind loose wallpaper.

The rate of increase in the parasite population

Those who want to figure out how long bedbugs live without food will be interested to know that their reproduction is carried out by traumatic insemination, during which the male pierces the back of the female's body and injects his seminal fluid. Under favorable conditions, one individual is able to lay up to twelve eggs per day and up to five hundred during its entire existence.

Bedbugs living in a warm room can breed throughout the year. If the ambient temperature drops to ten degrees, then the parasites are able to starve for five months.

How long do bed bugs live?

The answer to this question became known relatively recently. The average lifespan of these parasites is twelve to fourteen months. Under adverse conditions, such as excessively low or high air temperatures, they hibernate. It has been established that under such circumstances, the development of larvae slows down.

For those who want to understandhow many bugs live in an empty apartment, you can answer that in cold rooms they can last for several months more.

How to identify these insects?

The fact that blood-sucking parasites have started up in the apartment can be recognized by the appearance of a strange smell of low-quality cognac. It is this “aroma” that emits a secret secreted by adults.

Those who already know how long bed bugs live should remember that their presence in the house may be indicated by the appearance of brown spots on bedding. Noticing them, you need to carefully examine the room for signs of insect activity. Also, in potential places of their accumulation, there may be remnants of the chitinous cover shed by them.

Bug control methods

Today, there are many different ways to destroy these small parasites, ranging from ineffective folk methods to calling specialists from the relevant services.

It should be noted that these blood-sucking insects cannot stand the smell of essential oils made from lavender, rosemary and eucalyptus. With these means, it is necessary to process the places of probable accumulation of bedbugs. Not bad helps to get rid of parasites evening treatment of a bed with one of these oils. They can smear the frame or legs of the bed. However, these remedies only repel bedbugs, not kill them.

Our great-grandmothers fought home parasites with boric acidacids. This cheap and practically non-toxic agent has contact and intestinal effects on bedbugs. In other words, it dries out the body of the insect and corrodes its digestive system. Since pests are indifferent to baits made on the basis of boric acid, it is recommended to use it only in a dry form (fill the nests found with it).

Some interesting facts

Those who have already understood how many bugs live, it will be useful to know that about forty thousand species of these insects are known to modern science. Moreover, eight hundred of them are found on the territory of Russia.

Bed bugs are so small that they are almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Only a hypersensitive person is able to feel that someone is crawling on him. The insects themselves do not cause any disease, but they do carry organisms that cause smallpox, hepatitis B, and typhoid fever.

The well-fed bug changes its color. He turns red from drinking blood. Interestingly, the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt were sure that the bites of these parasites were the best antidote for snakes.