Winter Hardy Bed Bugs Are Still a Threat to You

We May Be Bundled Up But Bed Bugs Are Cozy
We May Be Bundled Up But Bed Bugs Are Cozy

Bed bugs are a year-round pest. Bed bugs cannot survive extreme heat or cold but rarely have to. These small, blood-feeding insects live indoors to stay close to their human food source and are seldom exposed to changing seasonal temperatures. You are just as likely to run into bed bugs in the winter as during the summer.

Travel Effect

NJ pest control experts have, however, noticed that bed bug infestations in New Jersey seem to rise between June and October, peaking during the soaring temperatures of July and August. While research indicates that bed bugs do grow faster and lay more eggs when temperatures reach 80 degrees F., most bed bug experts attribute the summertime increase of reported bed bug infestations to heavier summer vacation travel. Bed bugs are adept hitchhikers that frequently spread from hotels to homes by hiding in the luggage of vacationing travelers.

Winter Hardy

Winter’s cold is no protection from bed bugs, NJ pest control experts warn. These insects can survive short periods of freezing temperatures. Like many insects, bed bugs have the ability to lower the freezing point of their body temperature. This biological trick makes bed bugs less susceptible to New Jersey’s cold winters than previously believed. A 2013 study reported on the Entomological Society of America website found that it took nearly 7 days of uninterrupted exposure to a temperature of 5 degrees Fahrenheit to kill bed bugs at all stages of development. Incredibly, bed bug eggs could survive short periods at -13 degrees F.!

Don’t let down your guard this winter. If bed bugs are biting you, call the bed bug exterminators at Allison Pest Control today.