The Secret Bed Bug Behavior You’ve Probably Never Heard Of: Quiescence

Ah, bed bugs. If you've been battling these tiny terrors for any length of time—let alone over twenty years, like me—you've probably heard it all. People seem to think bed bugs are invincible, always active, and that once they're in your home, they're wreaking havoc night after night. But there's one rare trick up their tiny exoskeletal sleeves that most people don't know about: quiescence. And trust me, this sneaky behavior is one of the reasons even the best professionals lose sleep (while the bed bugs don't, ironically enough).

Bed bug poised on paper towel edge in our clients NE Oklahoma home.

What Is Quiescence, and Why Should You Care?:

So, what is quiescence? No, it's not some fancy spa treatment, and no, it's not a new form of martial arts (though it might as well be). In the world of bed bugs, quiescence is essentially a period of dormancy or hibernation. But unlike a bear that sleeps through the winter, bed bugs can hit the snooze button whenever they darn well please.

That's right—bed bugs can "pause" their lives for weeks, or even several months, without feeding. If conditions aren't quite right (say, they sense extreme cold, chemical threats, or even a sudden change in human activity), they enter this quiescent state, making them harder to detect, harder to treat, and harder to evict from your home. While everyone else is frantically looking for the source of those itchy bites, the bed bugs could be chilling out in their own private hideaway, completely dormant and just biding their time.

Bed bug observed during Quiescence dormancy behavior. They have the ability to wait out whatever you're using to try and eliminate them, for months! — Bed bug observed during Quiescence dormancy behavior is shown in this image. They have the ability to wait out whatever you're using to try and eliminate them, for months, upon months! The owner of this Oklahoma home, was trying to use chemical insecticides unsuccessfully for months. The home owner had no idea that bed bugs have the ability to just be patient and wait out the home owners onslaught against them.

Why Haven't You Heard About This?:

If you've been in the bed bug game for a while, you know that most of the literature focuses on the bugs' voracious feeding habits. In fact, if you ask most people, they'll tell you that bed bugs are relentless, constantly searching for their next meal. The truth is, they can be just as patient as they are persistent. Quiescence doesn't get talked about a lot, because it's not easy to observe. After all, how do you know if a bed bug is quiescent when they're hiding behind baseboards, on the stitching/staples of mattresses/box springs, bed frames, couches, chairs, cracks or crevices in your homes structure, your own belongings, (including electronics, clothes and shoes), or inside electrical outlets? Basically anywhere, not just beds, couches and chairs or close to this furniture like when an infestation first starts and no attempts to eliminate them have been made. The more you do to try and exterminate bed bugs yourself, when you do not have lots of experience with them, the more likely you'll cause them to go into hiding and quiescence where they are out of your direct site and harms way.

Most entomologists and pest control professionals know bed bugs can go long periods without feeding, but quiescence is more than just "fasting" and "sitting still". It's a deliberate, self-imposed coma, and it can be triggered by stressors like pesticides, temperature changes, or even just lack of human activity. That means if you think you've cleared out a room, only to find a resurgence weeks or months later, you might not be dealing with new bugs—you could be dealing with old ones who've just hit the play button after an extended pause.

The Crazy Survival Tactic That Keeps Bed Bugs Alive—And Keeps Us Busy:

Let's put this in perspective. Imagine you're throwing everything but the kitchen sink at these bugs. Heat treatments, sprays, dusts like diatomaceous earth, bed bug encasements, traps, throwing away your furniture—you name it. Now imagine the bed bugs are just hanging out, saying, "Yeah, we'll just wait this out." And that's exactly what happens during quiescence. The bed bugs can sense when conditions aren't ideal, and instead of risking exposure to danger, they hit pause on their biological needs.

Here's the kicker: during this quiescent state, bed bugs can reduce their metabolic rate to the point where they use hardly any energy at all. No food, no movement, no growth—just a silent, sneaky wait. It's like they've mastered the art of intermittent fasting, but instead of losing weight, they're losing your sanity.

How to Handle the Hidden Threat of Quiescence:

So, what can you do about quiescent bed bugs? Well, first of all, don't underestimate them. Just because you don't see any activity, don't assume they're gone. If you think you've eradicated an infestation, consider a follow-up plan to account for this dormancy period. Make sure heat remediation was used first and foremost when treating for them. Also make sure preventive insecticides were used after the heat, then after getting treated, get regular inspections or preventative treatments done every 60 days. Warranty extension preventative re-treatments are critical for long term success, especially in the weeks/months following an initial treatment. Not all companies will extend warranties like we do at Dead Bug Walkin LLC, so always ask before accepting any companies services and never assume all pest control providers operate the same way. It's like playing chess with an opponent who can disappear and reappear whenever they like. Most families or businesses get bed bugs from their friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, customers, etc.. So be aware that bed bugs have many ways to end up back in your home or life and many times concentrating on just the initial treatment is not always good enough for that long term success. You must focus on protection after a treatment, just as much as the initial treatment itself. That's the difference between a good professional and a great professional bed bug specialist, complete protective coverage that lasts for months after an initial service and can be extended as long as needed or wanted.

And here's another fun fact (and by fun, I mean utterly frustrating): quiescent bed bugs aren't affected by many common pesticides in the same way active ones are. If a bed bug is in a quiescent state, it's not eating, not moving—and not coming into contact with any of your well-laid traps or chemical treatments. That's why heat treatments are often more effective against quiescent populations—because you're targeting the bug itself, not waiting for it to expose itself to a chemical or biological insecticide when coming out to feed on your blood. With a heat treatment you're not just relying upon the technician or specialist to find every single bed bug or egg, the heat seeks the bed bugs out for the professional. Well that's assuming the person doing the heat treatment knows how to properly set it up for complete success and has the proper preparation measures done prior to the treatment.

A Bed Bug's Secret Weapon Against Human Impatience:

The real trick, though, is patience—and let's be honest, that's not something any of us want to hear when we're dealing with bed bugs. Clients expect immediate results, and we're under pressure to deliver. But as bed bug specialists, we know the game. Bed bugs can outlast some of the harshest treatments through this quiescent state, and if you're not prepared for that, you might be writing off an infestation too soon.

In Conclusion: The Waiting Game:

In the end, quiescence is the bed bug's ultimate "get out of jail free" card. While they may not be as glamorous as their pest counterparts (here's looking at you, cockroaches and your supposed nuclear bomb survival abilities), bed bugs have mastered the art of lying low. And for professionals like us, that means our job isn't just about eradicating bed bugs—it's about outsmarting them at every turn, even when they're literally doing nothing at all.

So the next time someone asks, "Why aren't my bed bugs gone yet, I've done everything I can think of or read about to get rid of them?" You can just smile and say, "Because they're napping, but don't worry, we'll wake them up soon enough when we bake them alive in your home, like it's a convection oven."