Bed Bugs - Sierra Research Laboratories

Efficacy of Various Insecticides Against Bed Bugs Dr. Bill Donahue Sumiko De La Vega

Nebraska Urban Pest Management Conference February 12-13, 2013

“Brood Centers” • Bed bugs are thigmotactic preferring rough surfaces such as wood or paper. • Cluster together in contact with each other where fecal matter, egg shells and exuvia accumulate - Semiochemicals • Return to these harborages after a blood meal. • Quiescent state while digestion takes place. • Stimulus to leave harborage? Hunger?

“Brood Centers”

Repellent A chemical that makes unattractive to arthropods a habitat, food source, or oviposition site ordinarily sought and frequented. “Push-Pull” Theory – Repel and Attract - used in the same environment

Objective To evaluate the contact activity (mortality, repellency, egg distribution and hatch) of selected strains of bed bugs exposed to treated fabric substrates.

Chemicals Evaluated • • • • •

Permethrin Impregnated Fabrics (3) – 0.52% a.i. Phantom Aerosol – Chlorfenapyr 0.5% Alpine Aerosol – Dinotefuran 0.5% Bedlam Aerosol – Sumithrin 0.4%, MGK-264 1.6% Bed Bug Gel - Lactic Acid 20%, Rosemary Oil 1%, Hops Flower Essential Oil 1%

Bed Bug Strains • “Harlan” – Laboratory Susceptible Strain (Ft. Dix, NJ 1973 - SRL 2008) Adults Mixed Sex Ratio • “Earl” – SRL Field Collected (Modesto, CA - 2007) Susceptible Strain – Adults Mixed Sex Ratio • “James” – SRL Field Collected (Modesto, CA - 2009) Strain, 7X Permethrin Resistant – Adults Mixed Sex Ratio

Test System * Forced Exposure non-choice test

Permethrin Fabric “Choice Test”

Aerosol “Choice Test”

Average percent mortality of adult bed bugs (2 Strains) confined to three types of permethrin treated fabrics (“NonChoice”) compared with an untreated control as a continuous forced exposure lethal time (LT) evaluation Fabric Type

1 hr Harlan

1 hr James

2 hr Harlan

2 hr James

4 hr Harlan

4 hr James

24 hr Harlan

24 hr James

#1 Beige UPH

4

0

26

12

58

24

100

54

#2 Black Stitch

16

0

22

6

64

18

100

50

#3 Knit Ticking

44

10

56

48

94

66

100

78

#4 UTC Woven

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Average percent mortality of adult bed bugs (Harlan) confined to three types of permethrin treated fabrics (“Choice Test”) compared with an untreated control as a continuous exposure lethal time (LT) evaluation Fabric Type

4 hr

24 hr

48 hr

72 hr

96 hr

#1 Beige UPH

14

64

72

76

76

#2 Black Stitch

26

46

64

72

78

#3 Knit Ticking

30

52

60

66

68

#4 UTC Woven

0

0

0

0

0

Total # of Eggs, average percent hatch and average percent nymph mortality of bed bugs (Harlan) confined to three types of permethrin treated fabrics (“Choice Test”) compared with an untreated control as a continuous exposure evaluation Treated Side Total # Eggs

Untreated Side Total # Eggs

Avg.% Hatch

Avg. % Nymph Mortality

#1 Beige UPH

3

73

83.5

19.7

#2 Black Stitch

6

90

86.6

34.4

#3 Knit Ticking

2

124

69.8

19.8

#4 UTC Woven

124

189

87.0

2.6

Fabric Type

Mortality, distribution, average percent hatch and average percent nymph mortality of bed bugs (Harlan) confined to treated mattress ticking (“Choice Test”) compared with an untreated control as a continuous exposure evaluation

Treatment

Max. Adult % Mort 96 hr

% Adults Untreated Side

Avg % Distribution Eggs

4 hr

96 hr

Treated

Untreated

Avg % Hatch

Avg % Nymph Mortality

Chlorfenapyr Aerosol

0

96

82

13

87

96.6

78.0

Dinotefuran Aerosol

0

58

74

31

69

98.0

0.6

Sumithrin Aerosol

42

68

64

1

99

97.1

41.7

Lactic Acid + Essential Oils

0

96

100

0

100

100

0.6

Conclusions • Reliable and predictive small scale bioassay • Sensitive – bed bug strains, chemicals (actives & formulations) • Demonstrates repellency – adults/nymphs, oviposition sites – “Push-Pull” applications, but need to understand the dynamics when including the host and harborage in human habitats • Evaluate control options based on unique bed bug behavior – “Brood Centers” - Urban IPM

Questions?