Bed Bugs and Cold Weather

Bed bugs are influenced by the weather conditions

Over the years of receiving daily call-outs for bed bug cases in London, we have noticed that bed bugs are not just influenced by the temperature conditions. They also seem to be less active in rainy and stormy days, when the weather is generally bad. Like with most insects, bed bug’s behaviour and life cycle are both dependent on the weather conditions. We have noticed the following patterns of the insect’s behaviour during days with bad weather, from over a decade of researching and collecting data:

  • Reduced biting patterns over colder periods and the colder months in general
  • Reduced occurrence of the pest – the occasions when you spot the little bugs crawling are considerably fewer compared to the warmer periods and warmers seasons of the year
  • Reduced reproducibility of the pest – the rate of egg hatching slows down and it may even take triple of the temperatures are very low
Inspection for bed bugs in London

These patterns have a very logical explanation. Bed bugs are insects that prefer warmer environments. Their bodies are accustomed to developing and surviving at comfortable temperatures and when the winter comes and the temperatures drop, their activity decreases quite significantly sometimes. Temperatures lower than 15 Celsius are considered borderline for the development of the pest. Below 15 C the bed bugs reduce the number of feedings and they start coming out to bite less frequently. Their eggs do not hatch within the typical period of 10 to 14/16 days and it may take up to 45 days for them to hatch.

This explains one of the reasons why it is a more difficult to confirm that a bed bug infestation has been completely eradicated during the colder months. Bed bugs could have also entered a full or semi hibernation, allowing them to survive even without a blood feed for more than 6 months. Typically, when the weather is bad or the conditions are cold in the property, bed bugs are coming out to bite once or twice every 3 weeks or more,  compared to a bite once every 3/4 days.

In case that you may be worried about having bed bugs or you are receiving strange bites, you can call our friendly customer care team and request information or ask any bed bug related question on your mind.

Authors: Bed Bug Hunters technicians