DOCSLIB.ORG

BIOLOGY and CONTROL of the BED BUG CIMEX LECTULARIUS L. Kevin Hinson Clemson University, [email protected]

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
BIOLOGY and CONTROL of the BED BUG CIMEX LECTULARIUS L. Kevin Hinson Clemson University, Krhinso@Clemson.Edu Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations 12-2014 BIOLOGY AND CONTROL OF THE BED BUG CIMEX LECTULARIUS L. Kevin Hinson Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Hinson, Kevin, "BIOLOGY AND CONTROL OF THE BED BUG CIMEX LECTULARIUS L." (2014). All Dissertations. 1466. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/1466 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BIOLOGY AND CONTROL OF THE BED BUG CIMEX LECTULARIUS L. A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Entomology by Kevin Richard Hinson December 2014 Accepted by: Dr. Eric Benson, Committee Chair Dr. Patricia Zungoli Dr. William Bridges, Jr. Dr. Guido Schnabel ABSTRACT After vanishing from the public eye for more than 50 years, bed bugs have resurged to become one of the most widely discussed and heavily researched insect pests in the westernized world. Our inability to prevent and successfully treat infestations has been the driving force behind this wave of research. I addressed gaps in our understanding of bed bugs by examining behavioral and life history characteristics, as well as insecticide application responses. I showed that natural-based products are generally ineffective against bed bugs, particularly when used as a residual treatment. I also found that bed bugs may be killed through horizontal insecticide transfer, and that the efficacy of such products may depend on product formulation and surface type. Further investigations revealed that several of the most commonly used industrial products are only moderately effective against bed bug eggs, and that some completely fail to suppress egg hatch rate. Some products appear to affect the orientation of bed bugs that are exposed to an insecticide-treated bug. Whether bed bugs are avoiding products or bed bug alarm pheromones released in response to products remains unknown. Investigations into bed bug behavior and life history produced several interesting findings. Although behavioral assays used to detect orientation of male bed bugs toward females based on airborne pheromones failed to product significant results at α=.05, results were significant at α=0.10. Trends in data were similar to what one would expect if males are capable of detecting airborne sex pheromones. Investigations into the effects of male nutritive status on female fecundity revealed that females are capable of producing the same number of offspring per blood meal independent of male feeding ii status. These results contradict studies from the 1930’s, which found that male bed bugs do not attempt to mate if deprived of blood for 14 days. Finally, an assessment of the climbing ability of teneral and sclerotized bed bugs was conducted after noting that teneral bed bugs appeared more adept at climbing smooth surfaces. Behavior assays determined that teneral bed bugs climbed to greater heights more frequently than sclerotized bed bugs. Sclerotization resulted in the loss of this ability, presumably due to a loss of cuticular flexibility and an adhesive property conferred by molting fluid remaining on the teneral exoskeleton. These findings have implications for the design of bed bugs traps and barriers. iii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work to my mother, Teresa, my father, Walter, and brother, Mark, all of whom have supported my love for entomology from a young age. I would also like to dedicate this work to the memory of my mentor and friend, “Jim” Cornell, Jr. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Eric Benson and Dr. Patricia Zungoli for their guidance throughout my research, and for introducing me to the world of Urban Entomology. I would like to thank Dr. William Bridges, Jr. for his assistance with the design and analysis of experiments, and Dr. Guido Schnabel, for providing useful feedback throughout the course of my research. I would also like to thank Brittany Ellis and Anja Grabke for helping with much of the preparatory work that made this dissertation possible. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................ iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Bed Bugs and Early Man ......................................................................... 1 Systematics .............................................................................................. 2 Life History .............................................................................................. 3 Ecology .................................................................................................... 4 Medical Importance ................................................................................. 7 Traumatic Insemination ......................................................................... 10 Early Control .......................................................................................... 12 Modern Control ...................................................................................... 14 Recent Research ..................................................................................... 16 Research Justification ............................................................................ 22 II. ASSESSMENT OF NATURAL-BASED PRODUCTS FOR BED BUG CONTROL Part 1: Direct-spray Efficacy ................................................................. 24 Part 1: Materials and Methods ............................................................... 25 Part 1: Results and Discussion ............................................................... 27 Part 2: Residual-spray Efficacy ............................................................. 37 Part 2: Materials and Methods ............................................................... 37 Part 2: Results and Discussion ............................................................... 39 vi Table of Contents (Continued) Page III. MORTALITY RESULTING FROM HORIZONTAL INSECTICIDE TRANSFER ........................................................................................... 50 Materials and Methods ........................................................................... 51 Results and Discussion .......................................................................... 53 IV. EVALUATION OF BED BUG EGG HATCH RATE AND NYMPH SURVIVAL USING FOUR COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE INSECTICIDES APPLIED AS DIRECT SPRAYS ............................. 72 Materials and Methods ........................................................................... 74 Results and Discussion .......................................................................... 77 V. REPELLENCY OF INSECTICIDES USED FOR BED BUG CONTROL ............................................................................................. 85 Materials and Methods ........................................................................... 86 Results and Discussion .......................................................................... 88 VI. AIRBORNE BED BUG SEX PHEROMONES .......................................... 95 Materials and Methods ........................................................................... 95 Results and Discussion .......................................................................... 99 VII. FECUNDITY OF FEMALE BED BUGS BASED ON NOURISHMENT STATUS OF MALE MATE.................................. 107 Materials and Methods ......................................................................... 108 Results and Discussion ........................................................................ 110 VIII. COMPARISONS OF THE ABILITY OF TENERAL AND SCLEROTIZED ADULT BED BUGS TO CLIMB A GLASS SURFACE ............................................................................. 114 Materials and Methods ......................................................................... 115 Results and Discussion ........................................................................ 117 vii Table of Contents (Continued) Page IX. SUMMARY AND RESEARCH APPLICATIONS .................................. 123 Chapter 2 .............................................................................................. 123 Chapter 3 .............................................................................................. 125 Chapter 4 .............................................................................................. 126 Chapter 5 .............................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Status and Protection of Globally Threatened Species in the Caucasus
    STATUS AND PROTECTION OF GLOBALLY THREATENED SPECIES IN THE CAUCASUS CEPF Biodiversity Investments in the Caucasus Hotspot 2004-2009 Edited by Nugzar Zazanashvili and David Mallon Tbilisi 2009 The contents of this book do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CEPF, WWF, or their sponsoring organizations. Neither the CEPF, WWF nor any other entities thereof, assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product or process disclosed in this book. Citation: Zazanashvili, N. and Mallon, D. (Editors) 2009. Status and Protection of Globally Threatened Species in the Caucasus. Tbilisi: CEPF, WWF. Contour Ltd., 232 pp. ISBN 978-9941-0-2203-6 Design and printing Contour Ltd. 8, Kargareteli st., 0164 Tbilisi, Georgia December 2009 The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. This book shows the effort of the Caucasus NGOs, experts, scientific institutions and governmental agencies for conserving globally threatened species in the Caucasus: CEPF investments in the region made it possible for the first time to carry out simultaneous assessments of species’ populations at national and regional scales, setting up strategies and developing action plans for their survival, as well as implementation of some urgent conservation measures. Contents Foreword 7 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction CEPF Investment in the Caucasus Hotspot A. W. Tordoff, N. Zazanashvili, M. Bitsadze, K. Manvelyan, E. Askerov, V. Krever, S. Kalem, B. Avcioglu, S. Galstyan and R. Mnatsekanov 9 The Caucasus Hotspot N.
    [Show full text]
  • Household Insects of the Rocky Mountain States
    Household Insects of the Rocky Mountain States Bulletin 557A January 1994 Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, Montana State University Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Milan Rewerts, interim director of Cooperative Extension, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. Cooperative Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products named is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned. FOREWORD This publication provides information on the identification, general biology and management of insects associated with homes in the Rocky Mountain/High Plains region. Records from Colorado, Wyoming and Montana were used as primary reference for the species to include. Mention of more specific localities (e.g., extreme southwestern Colorado, Front Range) is provided when the insects show more restricted distribution. Line drawings are provided to assist in identification. In addition, there are several lists based on habits (e.g., flying), size, and distribution in the home. These are found in tables and appendices throughout this manual. Control strategies are the choice of the home dweller. Often simple practices can be effective, once the biology and habits of the insect are understood. Many of the insects found in homes are merely casual invaders that do not reproduce nor pose a threat to humans, stored food or furnishings. These may often originate from conditions that exist outside the dwelling. Other insects found in homes may be controlled by sanitation and household maintenance, such as altering potential breeding areas (e.g., leaky faucets, spilled food, effective screening).
    [Show full text]
  • Venom Composition and Bioactivity from the Eurasian Assassin Bug Rhynocoris Iracundus
    biomedicines Article Hexapod Assassins’ Potion: Venom Composition and Bioactivity from the Eurasian Assassin Bug Rhynocoris iracundus Nicolai Rügen 1, Timothy P. Jenkins 2, Natalie Wielsch 3, Heiko Vogel 4 , Benjamin-Florian Hempel 5,6 , Roderich D. Süssmuth 5 , Stuart Ainsworth 7, Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz 8 , Andreas Vilcinskas 1,9,10 and Miray Tonk 9,10,* 1 Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany; [email protected] (N.R.); [email protected] (A.V.) 2 Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark; [email protected] 3 Research Group Mass Spectrometry/Proteomics, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, 07745 Jena, Germany; [email protected] 4 Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745 Jena, Germany; [email protected] 5 Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Strasse des 17. Juni 124, 10623 Berlin, Germany; [email protected] (B.-F.H.); [email protected] (R.D.S.) 6 BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies BCRT, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany 7 Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK; [email protected] 8 Citation: Rügen, N.; Jenkins, T.P.; UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, Wielsch, N.; Vogel, H.; Hempel, B.-F.; F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France; [email protected] 9 Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, Süssmuth, R.D.; Ainsworth, S.; 35392 Giessen, Germany Cabezas-Cruz, A.; Vilcinskas, A.; 10 LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, Tonk, M.
    [Show full text]
  • About the Book the Format Acknowledgments
    About the Book For more than ten years I have been working on a book on bryophyte ecology and was joined by Heinjo During, who has been very helpful in critiquing multiple versions of the chapters. But as the book progressed, the field of bryophyte ecology progressed faster. No chapter ever seemed to stay finished, hence the decision to publish online. Furthermore, rather than being a textbook, it is evolving into an encyclopedia that would be at least three volumes. Having reached the age when I could retire whenever I wanted to, I no longer needed be so concerned with the publish or perish paradigm. In keeping with the sharing nature of bryologists, and the need to educate the non-bryologists about the nature and role of bryophytes in the ecosystem, it seemed my personal goals could best be accomplished by publishing online. This has several advantages for me. I can choose the format I want, I can include lots of color images, and I can post chapters or parts of chapters as I complete them and update later if I find it important. Throughout the book I have posed questions. I have even attempt to offer hypotheses for many of these. It is my hope that these questions and hypotheses will inspire students of all ages to attempt to answer these. Some are simple and could even be done by elementary school children. Others are suitable for undergraduate projects. And some will take lifelong work or a large team of researchers around the world. Have fun with them! The Format The decision to publish Bryophyte Ecology as an ebook occurred after I had a publisher, and I am sure I have not thought of all the complexities of publishing as I complete things, rather than in the order of the planned organization.
    [Show full text]
  • What's Eating You? Bedbugs Revisited (Cimex Lectularius)
    Close enCounters With the environment What’s Eating You? Bedbugs Revisited (Cimex lectularius) Devika Patel, MD; Dirk M. Elston, MD he common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, is a member of the family Cimicidae and the genus TCimex. Belonging to the order Hemiptera, its relatives include reduviid bugs as well as common garden pests such as stink bugs, aphids, and cicadas.1 Bedbugs are distributed in temperate and tropical regions worldwide.2 In the last 10 years, the number of US households affected by these insects has mark- edly increased3 and bedbugs have become a serious urban pest worldwide.4 This resurgence of bedbug infestations has renewed interest in the biology and toxicology of these insects.5 CUTIS Overview Bedbug anatomy. Adult bedbugs are wingless, roughly oval in shape, flattened, and approximately 5- to 6-mm long. The adults are a deep red-brown color.2 They possess widely spaced compound eyes—one on each side of a pyramid-shapedDo head—and Notslender antennae. A humans. Copy2 The life cycle of C lectularius includes small semicircular to triangular scutellum, or sclerotic 5 nymphal stages followed by adulthood, and plate, covers the dorsal surface of the body, and the progression through each nymphal stage requires retroverted labium (mouthpart) has 3 segments that nutrients provided by the blood meal.7 reach the base of the first pair of legs (Figure).6 On Bedbugs are nocturnal insects6; they generally the distal extremities, the tarsus is composed of 3 seg- avoid light, hide during the day, and feed at night ments with claws. The female has a ventral notch or while humans are sleeping.
    [Show full text]
  • AEXT Ucsu2062255742005.Pdf (316.7Kb)
    I N S E C T S E R I E S HOME & GARDEN Bat Bugs and Bed Bugs no. 5.574 by W.S. Cranshaw and F.B. Peairs 1 The human bed bug (Cimex lectularius) and its relatives (Family: Cimicidae) form a small group of bloodsucking insects. Although the bed bug is the best known species of this group, most problems in Colorado occur with the Quick Facts... closely related bat bugs (Cimex pilosellus). Swallow bugs (Oeciacus vicarius) can be serious problems where swallow nests are attached to dwellings. Poultry bugs (Haematosiphon inodorus), associated with poultry houses, also are occasionally The human bed bug (Cimex encountered. lectularius) and its relatives The bite of these bugs often is painless, but a toxic saliva injected during (Family: Cimicidae) form a small feeding will later cause severe itching and an inflamed welt. However, individuals group of bloodsucking insects. may vary widely in sensitivity to these bites. Often, a series of two to three welts are produced in close proximity following feeding by bed bugs. Swallow bugs Bat and bed bugs have a short have been shown to transmit equine encephalitis (Ft. Morgan strain) to birds. broad head, broadly attached to the prothorax, and an oval body. Appearance and Habits Because of the different habits Bat and bed bugs have a short, broad head, broadly attached to the of the various bed bugs, proper prothorax, and an oval body. The body as a whole is broad and flat, enabling the identification determines where bugs to crawl into narrow crevices. The adults are about 1/4 to 3/8 inch long, to direct controls to be most brown and wingless.
    [Show full text]
  • Papers from the Department of Forest Entomology
    P /-.:. |i'-': ^jX V^ jyyu<X C»A Volume XXII December, 1 922 Number 5 TECHNICAL PUBLICATION NO. 16 OF NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OF FORESTRY AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY F. F. MOON. Dean Papers from the Department of Forest Entomology Published Quarterly by the University Syracuse, New York Entered at the Postofflce at Syracuse as second-class mall matter "^^ \« / 'pi AN ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE HEMIPTERA OF THR CRANBERRY LAKE REGION, NEW YORK By Herbert Osborn and Carl J. Drake For the purpose of this study it is proposed to use an ecological grouping based on the primitive foi'est conditions or forest cover of the region with particular recognition of the modification caused by the lumbering or cutting of the large conifers and part of the hardwoods, and the subsequent burning of certain cut-over tracts. These factors have operated to produce a very different combina- tion of organisms, in part because of the different plant associa- tions which have formed a succession for the forest cover, buc largely owing to the evident killing out of certain members of the original fauna. The latter is probably due to the disappearance of the food plants concerned or in some cases no doubt to the actual elimination of the species in certain areas occasioned by the destruction of the vegetation and duff' through fire. While the boundaries of the groups are not in all cases well defined, and as each may carry a varied flora aside from the domi- nant plant species, there is usually a rather definite limit for each.
    [Show full text]
  • Insect Egg Size and Shape Evolve with Ecology but Not Developmental Rate Samuel H
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1302-4 Insect egg size and shape evolve with ecology but not developmental rate Samuel H. Church1,4*, Seth Donoughe1,3,4, Bruno A. S. de Medeiros1 & Cassandra G. Extavour1,2* Over the course of evolution, organism size has diversified markedly. Changes in size are thought to have occurred because of developmental, morphological and/or ecological pressures. To perform phylogenetic tests of the potential effects of these pressures, here we generated a dataset of more than ten thousand descriptions of insect eggs, and combined these with genetic and life-history datasets. We show that, across eight orders of magnitude of variation in egg volume, the relationship between size and shape itself evolves, such that previously predicted global patterns of scaling do not adequately explain the diversity in egg shapes. We show that egg size is not correlated with developmental rate and that, for many insects, egg size is not correlated with adult body size. Instead, we find that the evolution of parasitoidism and aquatic oviposition help to explain the diversification in the size and shape of insect eggs. Our study suggests that where eggs are laid, rather than universal allometric constants, underlies the evolution of insect egg size and shape. Size is a fundamental factor in many biological processes. The size of an 526 families and every currently described extant hexapod order24 organism may affect interactions both with other organisms and with (Fig. 1a and Supplementary Fig. 1). We combined this dataset with the environment1,2, it scales with features of morphology and physi- backbone hexapod phylogenies25,26 that we enriched to include taxa ology3, and larger animals often have higher fitness4.
    [Show full text]
  • The Action and Composition of the Saliva of an Assassin Bug Platymeris Rhadamanthus Gaerst
    y. Exp. Biol. (1961), 38, 61-77 6l With 1 plate and 7 text-figures Printed in Great Britain THE ACTION AND COMPOSITION OF THE SALIVA OF AN ASSASSIN BUG PLATYMERIS RHADAMANTHUS GAERST. (HEMIPTERA, REDUVIIDAE) JOHN S. EDWARDS Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge (Received 15 July i960) (With Plate 1) INTRODUCTION The predatory habit is widespread in the Heteroptera; over half of the families whose biology is known live by the capture of living invertebrate prey. All Hemiptera must ingest liquid food and as a consequence their salivary secretions play an important part in feeding. This is perhaps most clearly seen in the predatory Heteroptera where the saliva has assumed the function of a venom, and among these it is the assassin bugs of the Reduviidae that have most extensively exploited the habit. Their ability to paralyse their captures rapidly has long been known to students of natural history; Degeer (1773), writing of Reduvius personatus, observed: 'La Mouche une fois piquee mourut promptement, ce qui denote assez, que la Punaise dois sans doute verser dans la playe quelque venin, dont l'effet tres actif.' Later writers have suggested the salivary glands (Miller, 1953), and the maxillary glands (Poisson, 1925) as the source of the venom, but its composition and mode of action have not been examined. Two examples will suffice to illustrate the efficacy of assassin bug venom. The first instar larva of the harpactocorine reduviid Rhinocoris carmelita is able to paralyse within 10 sec. a final instar larva of Ephestia kuhniella, over 400 times its own weight. Again, the large reduviine Platymeris rhadamanthus, provided with a cockroach, Periplaneta americana, puts an end to the convulsive struggling of its prey within 3-5 sec, and abolishes the last flickering movements from its appendages within 15 sec.
    [Show full text]
  • Magnitude and Spread of Bed Bugs (Cimex Lectularius) Throughout Ohio (USA) Revealed by Surveys of Pest Management Industry
    insects Article Magnitude and Spread of Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius) throughout Ohio (USA) Revealed by Surveys of Pest Management Industry Susan C. Jones Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210-1065, USA; [email protected] Simple Summary: Bed bugs are small blood-sucking insects that live indoors and feed on humans. They have become a problem in countries worldwide. In this study, the problem in Ohio (Midwest U.S.) was measured based on treatments by licensed pest control companies throughout the state. Results from 2005 showed that Ohio’s bed bug problem likely started in Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati. Much larger numbers of bed bug treatments were performed in 2011 and again in 2016, especially in counties with large cities. Almost every Ohio county had numerous bed bug treatments in 2016. Most treatments were in apartments/condos and single-family homes. Residents misused many pesticides, especially over-the-counter “bug bombs” and household cleaners, trying to eliminate bed bugs. Many people also threw away unwrapped infested furniture, which may further spread these bugs. More public education is needed to stop such practices. This study shows that bed bug problems can grow and spread quickly. Federal, state, and local officials and the public should immediately deal with bed bugs rather than waiting until they become an even bigger problem. Abstract: Bed bugs have recently re-emerged as human pests worldwide. In this study, two sur- Citation: Jones, S.C. Magnitude and veys queried licensed pest management companies in Ohio (Midwest USA) about their experiences Spread of Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius) managing bed bugs.
    [Show full text]
  • Salazar and Others Bed Bugs and Trypanosoma Cruzi
    Accepted for Publication, Published online November 17, 2014; doi:10.4269/ajtmh.14-0483. The latest version is at http://ajtmh.org/cgi/doi/10.4269/ajtmh.14-0483 In order to provide our readers with timely access to new content, papers accepted by the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene are posted online ahead of print publication. Papers that have been accepted for publication are peer-reviewed and copy edited but do not incorporate all corrections or constitute the final versions that will appear in the Journal. Final, corrected papers will be published online concurrent with the release of the print issue. SALAZAR AND OTHERS BED BUGS AND TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius) as Vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi Renzo Salazar, Ricardo Castillo-Neyra, Aaron W. Tustin, Katty Borrini-Mayorí, César Náquira, and Michael Z. Levy* Chagas Disease Field Laboratory, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Arequipa, Peru; Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Address correspondence to Michael Z. Levy, 819 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract. Populations of the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, have recently undergone explosive growth. Bed bugs share many important traits with triatomine insects, but it remains unclear whether these similarities include the ability to transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease. Here, we show efficient and bidirectional transmission of T. cruzi between hosts and bed bugs in a laboratory environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Natural History of Reduvius Personatus Linnaeus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) in North America
    _____________Mun. Ent. Zool. Vol. 8, No. 2, June 2013__________ 685 NATURAL HISTORY OF REDUVIUS PERSONATUS LINNAEUS (HEMIPTERA: HETEROPTERA: REDUVIIDAE) IN NORTH AMERICA M. Javahery* *c/o Lyman Entomological Museum & Research Laboratory, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, St-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, CANADA H9X 3V9. E-mail: javahery@videotron. ca [Javahery, M. 2013. Natural history of Reduvius personatus Linnaeus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) in North America. Munis Entomology & Zoology, 8 (2): 685-703] ABSTRACT: Reduvius personatus is commonly known as the masked bed bug hunter. It is a European species which has successfully adapted to life in North America, where it was introduced at an unknown date. My study of the biology, ecology and distribution of this insect is from 1997-2012 in southern Quebec and Ontario, Canada. Adults were found in spring and summer, both inside and outside dwellings. Third and fifth nymphs were present indoor during the winter as well. Third and fifth nymphal instars exhibited dormancy during the first and second winter, respectively. Nymphs exude a sticky substance which facilitates body-masking with dust particles. This camouflage has given rise to the alternative names “masked bug” or “masked bed bug hunter”. Mating occurs in a lateral orientation. Four successive generations reared over a decade showed a two-year life cycle. The adult morphology, first instar, characteristics of egg, embryonic development, feeding, mating, and cannibalistic behaviour were studied and are illustrated. The distribution in its adapted (North America) and native (Western Palaearctic) habitats was studied and mapped. This insect was not found to be harmful to humans and household pets. This is the first long- term natural history study of R.
    [Show full text]