Can Bed Bugs Survive Freezing Temperaturs?

When the snow starts falling and the temperatures drop below freezing, it is easy to hope that the bitter Wisconsin winter will naturally wipe out outdoor pests. But what about the ones inside? A common myth is that cracking your windows or leaving a mattress outside in the snow is an easy, free way to kill off a bed bug infestation.

Unfortunately, winter weather won't save you from bed bugs. Here is why these stubborn pests have no problem surviving the coldest months of the year.

What Temperature Kills Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are incredibly tough. If the temperature slowly gets colder, bed bugs don't just instantly die. Instead, they go into a state of deep sleep, or hibernation, called diapause. This allows them to save their energy and survive for months without eating, just waiting for things to warm up again. To actually kill a bed bug using cold, you have to hit very specific, extreme numbers. The temperature must drop to 0°F and stay there constantly for at least 4 straight days.

While Wisconsin gets that cold outside, simply turning off your heat or cracking a window will never drop the inside of your house to zero degrees. Even if you drag a piece of furniture out into the snow, the sun can warm the item up during the day, resetting the 4-day freezing clock. Bed bugs can also bury themselves deep into the stuffing of a mattress or the cracks of wood, acting like natural insulation to keep them alive.

Why Your Home is the Perfect Incubator for Bed Bugs

The biggest reason winter won't kill bed bugs is that bed bugs are indoor pests. They don't live in the wild; they live right alongside us. When it gets cold outside, we turn on our furnaces, light our fireplaces, and keep our homes nice and cozy. A typical house is kept between 68 and 72 degrees in the winter. To a bed bug, this is basically a tropical paradise.

Because we keep our homes perfectly warm year-round, bed bugs never realize it is winter outside. They continue to breed, lay eggs, and feed just as quickly in January as they do in July. A heated home acts like a giant incubator, allowing a small bed bug problem to explode into a massive infestation while the snow is falling outside.

Don't Wait for the Weather

If you notice signs of bed bugs—like itchy bites, tiny dark rust spots on your sheets, or small shells left behind—do not wait for the winter chill to fix the problem. Trying to freeze them out on your own usually just gives the bugs more time to spread to other rooms.

At MKE Bug Pros, we don't rely on the weather. We use advanced, whole-home treatments that find bed bugs wherever they are hiding and wipe out the entire colony from the inside out.

Stay warm this winter and let the experts handle the pests. If you suspect bed bugs have moved in for the season, contact MKE Bug Pros today for a fast, guaranteed solution!