Do Bed Bugs Live Outside?
Despite their name, bed bugs can actually be found in a lot of places aside from mattresses and box springs. They can live on walls, light sockets, chairs, couches, carpets, and other narrow spaces. But do bed bugs live outside? If yes, can you prevent them from entering your home? Bed bugs can actually live outside depending on some important factors. And yes, there are things you can do to prevent them from getting inside your home.
Why Do These Pests Live Indoors? Can Bed Bugs Live Outside The House?
The main reason why these pests love hiding and living indoors is that they have been feeding exclusively on human blood. They also don’t eat anything other than blood. With these factors, they inhabit and breed inside buildings to keep a close distance to their host.
Since most humans stay indoors, bed bugs will most likely stay indoors as well. The fact that they can’t fly or jump is also a factor that prevents them from travelling consistently to find food. On the other hand, if the host spends more time outside and there are potential hiding places for bed bugs there, they can actually live outside your home. They can be found in stationary tents (if you have any) or can live in your car since you also spend an extended period of time there.
Can bed bugs live outside? The outdoor environment makes it difficult for bed bugs to live outside. However, it doesn’t mean that they can’t survive. It is near impossible for them to go outside. But in cases where you use certain bed bug treatments, these pests may be forced to go outside, however not for long. A few bugs may go outside while others may die during the treatment. Those who seek refuge outside during the treatment will eventually come back inside to re-infest. This is the main reason why you should know how to prevent them from coming back.
How Long Do Bed Bugs Live Outside?
As mentioned, the length of time bed bugs can live outdoors depends on some important factors, which are:
- Temperature
High heat and freezing temperatures can kill bed bugs and these can affect the length of time they spend outside. However, the temperature outside may not be enough to kill the bed bugs. Long exposure to intolerable temperature and availability of hiding places like cracks and crevices can make it possible for them to live outside longer than they are supposed to. For heat treatments to take effect, you should use high-quality bed bug heaters. You can also call for heat treatment experts, but the service will be more expensive. With
- Predators
Natural predators of bed bugs include pharaoh ants and cockroaches. If these predators are around the area, the bed bugs won’t survive outside. However, despite the presence of these predators, they can still multiply effortlessly knowing that there will be some that can escape and keep reproducing.
- Availability of food source
The lack of food is among one of the biggest factors that can threaten bed bugs’ ability to survive outside. Though they can live for a couple of months without feeding on humans, this is also one of the main reasons why they will find their way back in your house and start re-infesting to get a blood meal.
Conclusion
Yes, bed bugs can live outside and this means that leaving your infested items outdoors is ineffective in killing the pests. When exposed to factors that affect their survival ability in the long run and with continuous use of bed bug treatments to prevent, detect and monitor, it is less likely that you will experience a re-infestation in your home.
