This is the latest installment of a regular feature here at SleepBetter.org: Sleep Myth Monday, where we bust sleep myths wide open, or verify that they’re actually not myths at all.
Myth or Truth: An adult bedbug can survive for up to one year without eating.
TRUTH
It’s disgusting, but it’s true. Bedbugs seem to be one of the hardest infestations to overcome, and the fact that they don’t need to eat all that often makes it that much harder. Here’s some information from the University of California:
Bed bugs can go without feeding for 20 to 400 days, depending on temperature and humidity. Older stages of nymphs can survive longer without feeding than younger ones, and adults have survived without food for more than 400 days in the laboratory at low temperatures. Adults may live up to one year or more, and there can be up to four successive generations per year.
The university says if you have an infestation, you should call a trained professional. There are over-the-counter remedies, but few are effective in the long run.
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