Bed Bug Biology/Behavior

and

Research Update

Dr. Susan C. Jones

Professor of Entomology

Sept/Oct 2013 Pestworld

The Most Bed Bug-Infested Cities in the U.S.

©Graphicmaps.com

The Common Bed Bug(Cimex lectularius)

Hemiptera: Cimicidae

Insects (true bugs)

• Temporary external parasites

• Feed only on blood

• Prefer to feed on humans

• Alternate hosts:rodents, bats, birds,

pets (cats, dogs, etc.)

Not caused by bad housekeeping!!

BED BUGS CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE!

BED BUG HABITS

• Cannot fly

• Can walk very fast

• Typically hide during the day in dark,

protected sites (esp. cracks & crevices)

• Prefer fabric, wood, and paper surfaces

• Can cling tightly to surfaces

In multi-family housing, bed bugs readily

spread to units that are adjacent, below,

and above the infested unit.

How do bed bugs travel?

• Walking

• from an infested room to new

territory

• from one apartment to another

via pipes, electrical wires,

cables, …

• down a hallway after dropping

off an item

• Hitchhiking

Bed Bug Hitchhikers in Luggage

--Bed Bug Hitchhikers—

in walker & wheelchair

Photos courtesy of General Pest Control Co.

--Bed Bug Hitchhikers—

in shoe tread

Female Male

Adult Bed Bugs

hanging picture

Bed Bug Harborages

carpet

electric outlet

cover

LIFE CYCLE

OF THE

BED BUG

(Cimex lectularius)

Adult (male & female)

~0.26 inch (6.5 mm) long

Takes repeated blood meals;

life span ~1 to 1½ yrs

4th

stage nymph

~0.12 inch (3 mm) long

Takes a blood meal then molts

2nd

stage nymph

~0.08 inch (2 mm) long

Takes a blood meal

then molts

5th

stage nymph

~0.18 inch (4.5 mm) long

Takes a blood meal

then molts

Egg

~0.04 inch (1 mm) long

Glued in place

3rd

stage nymph

~0.1 inch (2.5 mm) long

Takes a blood meal

then molts

Note: These images depict bugs with

a partly digested blood meal.

1st

stage nymph

~0.06 inch (1.5 mm) long

Takes a blood meal

then molts

© The Ohio State University

Dr. Susan C. Jones &

Benjamin R. Diehl

Total developmental

time (egg to adult):

21 days @ 86F

120 days @ 65F

Life History Characteristics Show

That Bed Bug Numbers Can Quickly

Increase … (Early Detection and Treatment

are Very Important) Eggs

Glued in place 1 – 12 eggs / day / female A single female can produce ~150 eggs Hatch in 6 – 17 days

Note: red eyes

on developing

embryos that are

nearing hatch

Life History Characteristics Show

That Bed Bug Numbers Can Quickly

Increase … (Early Detection and Treatment

are Very Important) Eggs

Glued in place 1 – 12 eggs / day / female A single female can produce ~150 eggs Hatch in 6 – 17 days

Adults (males & females) Require repeated blood meals Can live 12 – 18 months Can survive months of starvation

Nymphs (immature bugs) Five nymphal stages Require a blood meal in order to grow

http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/2/2/232

Test conditions:

79-80 °F (~26.5 °C)

69% RH

• Typically feed at night

• Locate their host using cues

such as carbon dioxide, heat,

and odor

Bed Bug Feeding Habits

Health Effects from Bed Bugs

• Skin reactions in 7 of 10 people

• Redness

• Welts

• Itching

• Secondary bacterial infections

• Anemia

• Asthma

• Anaphylactic shock

• Psychological effects

• Sleeplessness

• Agitation

• Anxiety …

Fig 3. Clinical manifestations of

bed bug bites: three or four skin

lesions are often seen in a

“breakfast (1), lunch (2), dinner

(3)” distribution (A),

or “wheel” distribution (B);

Atypical bullous lesions (C); and

urticaria (D).

August 2010

Bed bugs are a pest of significant

public health importance!

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/Publications/Bed_Bugs_CDC-EPA_Statement.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/pesticides/bedbugs/

CDC & EPA Joint

Statement

Pesticide Misuse

Columbus, OH 4/26/11

Pesticide Misuse

Columbus, OH 6/28/12

FMC Verifi™ Bed Bug Detector

http://www.fmcprosolutions.com/BedBugs/PropertyManager/Home.aspx

A- CO2 booster pack

B- lures (pheromone +

kairomone)

C- pitfall trap area

D- harborage area

E- self-adhesive sticker

--Active Monitoring Device--

Front view (with cut away

revealing interior components)

Rear view

PITFALL— OSU Research Study —

All Stages Of Bed Bugs Were

Captured In The Verifi™ Detector Pitfall.

Monthly

insecticide

treatments

initiated

Date

High-rise apt. building

Rental office Security booth

2/14/2013 Install

2/21/2013 0 Install

2/28/2013 2 bed bugs 2 bed bugs

3/13/2013 0 2 bed bugs (dead)

5/3/2013 0 5 bed bugs (dead)

6/25/2013a 0 1 bed bug (dead)

7/2/2013 0 1 bed bug (live)

10/22/2013a 0 1 bed bug (dead)

aVerifi lure components replaced in all detectors; wiped free of debris.

— OSU Research Study —

Results

aVerifi lure components replaced in all detectors; wiped free of debris.

— OSU Research Study —

Results

Date

Townhome office building

Rental

office

Management

office

Community

room

Meeting

room

3/13/2013 Install Install Install Install

3/20/2013 0 0 0 0

5/3/2013 0 0 0 0

6/25/2013a 0 0 0 0

7/2/2013 0 0 0 0

10/22/2013a 0 0 0 0

No bed bugs have been captured in Verifi detectors

in the four rooms. Office personnel have expressed

relief and increased peace-of-mind.

Second Floor

Master bedroom

Main Floor

Family room

Entry door

closet

KeyClimbUpVerifi

— Materials & Methods —

Dining room

Kitchen

Porch (open)

Guest bedroom

Bathroom

Spare room

≥1 bed bug captured

— Results —

In a 3-week period following the 2nd (final) treatment, we captured 6 bed bugs in Verifis & 2 bed bugs in ClimbUps.

3 days after 2nd (final) treatment, we installed 24 Verifis & 4 ClimbUps.

Comparison of Erroneous Results with

Canine Team, Dry Ice Trap, and Verifi™ Detector

— OSU Research Study —

0

1

2

3

Dog 1 Dog 2 Dog 1 Dog 2

False Positive False Negative FalsePositive

FalseNegative

FalsePositive

FalseNegative

Canine Team Dry Ice Trap Verifi Detector

Nm

be

r o

f E

rrro

rs

Detection Method

Rutgers University Field Study

August 2011

‘Detection

Tools and

Techniques’

By: Changlu Wang and Richard Cooper

Canine team performance

(7 firms; 24 apts.)Average Range

Inspection time 150 minutes 100-250 min.

Cost $750 $500-1,000

Detection rate 43% 11-83%

False positive rate (signaling

bed bugs that weren’t there)0-38%

Much variability among canine

detection firms.

Can be a useful tool in large-scale

inspections.

The liners consist of finely

woven polyester fabric

impregnated with 1.64%

permethrin. The liners are kept

in place on mattresses and

box springs beneath bedding.

Bed bugs were not repelled from ActiveGuard liners

TreatmentsControlsC C T C

Bed Bug Movement on ActiveGuard™ Liners

— OSU Research Study —

Words of caution regarding over-the-counter ‘natural

products’ for bed bug control:

• Exempt from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration

• EPA requires no efficacy data

• Claims often based on “satisfied customers”—be sure to ask for their research data and evaluate it carefully

• Botanical (plant based) products often have a strong odor

• Botanical products often have limited, if any, residual activity

25(b) Natural Products (exempt from EPA registration)

FTC takes actionThe FTC complaint charges that the Cedarcide defendants make:

• false claims that scientific studies prove Best Yet! is effective at

stopping and preventing bed bug infestations, and that it is more effective than synthetic pesticides at doing so;

• a false claim that the Environmental Protection Agency has warned consumers to avoid all synthetic pesticides for treating bed bug infestations;

• …

• false claims that Best Yet! was invented for the U.S. Army at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and that the USDA has

acknowledged the product as the number one choice of bio-based pesticides

The FTC complaint charges that the RMB Group defendants make

unsupported claims that Rest Easy kills and repels bed bugs, and that a

consumer can create a barrier against them by spraying the product around a bed.

http://ftc.gov/opa/2012/09/cedarcidermb.shtm

March 2013By: Narinderpal Singh, Changlu Wang, and Richard Cooper

Rutgers Univ. Study: Natural Pesticides

Mortality (>50%) at 10 days

100%

Low mortality (<50%)

92%

60%

Low mortality (<50%)

Low mortality (<50%)

Low mortality (<50%)

Low mortality (<50%)

Low mortality (<50%)

Low mortality (<50%)

Low mortality (<50%)

100% @ 3d

Low mortality (<50%)

• 60 bed bug nymphs per pesticide (presumably pyrethroid resistant)

• Directly sprayed at a rate of 1 gallon/1000 ft2

Rutgers Univ. Study: Natural Pesticides

Natural pesticides

that ARE NOT

regulated by

the EPA

Synthetic pesticides that ARE

regulated by the EPA

Active Ingredient(insecticide class)

Product Name(s)

Imidacloprid + ß-cyfluthrin(neonicotinoid + pyrethroid)

Temprid® SC

Chlorfenapyr(halogenated pyrrole)

Phantom® SCPhantom® PI

Acetamiprid + bifenthrin(neonicotinoid + pyrethroid)

Transport® MikronTransport® GHP

Thiamethoxam + λ-cyhalothrin(neonicotinoid + pyrethroid)

Tandem®

Dinotefuran + diatomaceous earth(neonicotinoid + silica dioxide)

Prescription TreatmentAlpine® Dust & Alpine® PI

Amorphous silica gel(silica)

CimeXa™

Neem seed oil(azadirachtin)

Cirkil™ CXCirkil™ RTU

Some non-pyrethroid insecticides available in the U.S.

for use against bed bugs:

OSU Research to Evaluate Contact and Residual Efficacy of Combination

Insecticides (Tandem™, Temprid™ SC, and Transport® Mikron™) Against Bed Bugs

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Initial 30 m 1 h 2 h 4 h 8 h

Mea

n p

erc

en

t m

ori

bu

nd

/de

ad

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Initial 30 m 1 h 2 h 4 h 8 h

Mea

n p

erce

nt

mo

rib

un

d/d

ead

Results Direct Spray

Pyrethroid susceptible bugs

Rapid bed bug mortality is

achieved through directly spraying

bed bugs.

Pyrethroid resistant bugs

Even with highly resistant bed bugs the bugs quickly died after being sprayed with any of the 3 insecticides. Evidence of contact toxicity.

Ply

wood

Fa

bric

Efficacy of Temprid SC Residues on Plywood and Fabric Aged for 6 mo (182 d)

highly

resistant

moderately

resistant

susceptible

March 14, 2013

http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130314/srep01456/pdf/srep01456.pdf

Resistance genes were very active in

the bed bug exoskeleton (skin).

Some Basics of Bed Bug Management Using

Insecticides

• There is no single “magic bullet”.

• Bed bug control typically takes several treatments.

• It is important to use several different formulations, and often, several different insecticides.

• A residual insecticide is necessary.

• Don’t keep using the same insecticide (rotate insecticide use)

IDENTIFICATION SERVICES

Ohio State University Pest Diagnostic Clinic

• Fee for identification services ($20 per insect sample)

• ID wide variety of insects, arthropods, plant diseases, etc.

• Online submission form: http://ppdc.osu.edu

Thank You!

Sleep tight,

and don’t let the … … well, you know the rest