Efficacy of Various Insecticides Against Bed BugsEfficacy of Various Insecticides Against Bed Bugs

Dr. Bill DonahueSumiko De La Vega

Nebraska Urban Pest Management ConferenceFebruary 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

Aerosol “Choice Test”

Permethrin Fabric “Choice Test”

Average percent mortality of adult bed bugs (2 Strains) confined to three types of permethrin treated fabrics (“Non-

Choice”) compared with an untreated control as a continuous forced exposure lethal time (LT) evaluation

Fabric Type

1 hrHarlan

1 hrJames

2 hrHarlan

2 hrJames

4 hrHarlan

4 hrJames

24 hrHarlan

24 hrJames

#1 BeigeUPH

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

FabricType 4 hr 24 hr 48 hr 72 hr 96 hr

#1 BeigeUPH 14 64 72 76 76

#2 Black Stitch 26 46 64 72 78

#3 Knit Ticking 30 52 60 66 68

#4 UTCWoven 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

Fabric TypeTreated SideTotal # Eggs

Untreated SideTotal # Eggs Avg.% Hatch

Avg. % Nymph Mortality

#1 BeigeUPH

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 UTCWoven

124 189 87.0 2.6

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

TreatmentMax. Adult

% Mort 96 hr

% Adults Untreated Side Avg % Distribution Eggs Avg %Hatch

Avg %Nymph

Mortality

4 hr 96 hr Treated Untreated

ChlorfenapyrAerosol 0 96 82 13 87 96.6 78.0

DinotefuranAerosol 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?