California Apartment Association

Landlords know bedbugs are tough.

Heck, they can survive in cracks and crevices for many months without a single blood meal.

Turns out that bedbugs can seemingly shrug off seriously frigid conditions, too.

Scientists found that the insects’ eggs can withstand temperatures cold as -13 degrees Fahrenheit, at least for a brief period, according to this article from HealthDay News.

“Killing bedbugs in all their life stages requires a minimum of 48 hours at -4 degrees Fahrenheit or 80 hours at about 3 degrees Fahrenheit,” says the article, which quotes a study recently published in the Journal of Economic Entomology.

In California, bedbug problems have been heating up. In November, 24 multifamily residents sued the owners of a Concord apartment complex, alleging bedbug infestation and other problems.

Also last month, CAA and the city of Concord held a workshop on keeping bedbugs out of apartments and getting existing infestations under control.

While research suggests bedbugs aren’t as vulnerable to the cold as once believed, they aren’t penguins or polar bears, either.

Check out the article’s tip on using a household freezer to push bedbugs beyond their life-clutching limits.