how long do pinworm eggs last outside the body
Life Cycle. Pinworms deposit eggs on the outside of hosts' bodies, near the anal area by adult females. This usually happens at night, when adult females leave the host's body and lay their eggs. The eggs can survive for up to three weeks outside the host body. Eggs that make it back into the animal's digestive system hatch and grow into adults in the large intestine, where they live and reproduce. The total life cycle of a pinworm is about five months long.