Medical and Veterinary Entomology (2021) 35, 121-128

B.A. Rukke, U. Salma, T. Birkemoe and A. Aak (2021)
Blood deprivation and heat stress increase mortality in bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) exposed to insect pathogenic fungi or desiccant dust
Medical and Veterinary Entomology 35 (1), 121-128
Abstract: Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) have returned as a nuisance pest in the last 20 years. Different bed bug control measures in combination have not been thoroughly studied, although induction of multiple stressors may improve extermination. The effects of heat stress only, heat stress followed by exposure to insect pathogenic fungi, and heat stress followed by exposure to desiccant dust on starved and blood-fed bed bugs were investigated. Five days at 22 °C (control), 32 °C, 34 °C, or 36 °C (heat stress) did not cause mortality in adults. However, their starved first instar nymphs produced after heat stress suffered mortalities of 33%, 56% and 100%, respectively. Exposure to insect pathogenic fungi after heat stress increased the mortality of adults and their progeny compared to exposure to fungi without heat stress. The beneficial effects of heat stress were not observed in blood-fed bed bugs. Desiccant dust killed all nymphs within 2 days and all adults within 3 days regardless of previous heat stress, but survival time was prolonged by access to blood. This study highlights the advantage of combining different methods in pest management, and points to heat stress combined with blood deprivation as possible management elements to increase the control success.
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Database assignments for author(s): Bjørn Arne Rukke, Tone Birkemoe

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
environment - cropping system/rotation
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Cimex lectularius		Norway
Beauveria bassiana (entomopathogen)	Cimex lectularius		Norway