Twenty-one years!

Of course, that's an outlier, rather like a 114 year old human. Still, it's a far cry from the 3 to 5 I saw on a (Texas?) website.

I'm guessing that HSB generally live longer in cooler climates, such as NW Ohio. Less stress. Don't know how feeding would affect lifespan, would be an interesting study.

To be honest, I'd be delighted if they last 8 years at my place. Terrific fighters, though it means I have to replace lines (and sometimes reels) pretty often.

7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160