PLoS ONE (2018) 13 (3 - e0193788)

Bjørn Arne Rukke, Ranjeni Sivasubramaniam, Tone Birkemoe and Anders Aak (2018)
Temperature stress deteriorates bed bug (Cimex lectularius) populations through decreased survival, fecundity and offspring success
PLoS ONE 13 (3 - e0193788)
Abstract: Sublethal heat stress may weaken bed bug infestations to potentially ease control. In the present study, experimental populations exposed to 34, 36 or 38°C for 2 or 3 weeks suffered significant mortality during exposure. Among survivors, egg production, egg hatching, moulting success and offspring proliferation decreased significantly in the subsequent 7 week recovery period at 22°C. The overall population success was negatively impacted by increasing temperature and duration of the stress. Such heat stress is inadequate as a single tool for eradication, but may be included as a low cost part of an integrated pest management protocol. Depending on the time available and infestation conditions, the success of some treatments can improve if sublethal heat is implemented prior to the onset of more conventional pest control measures.
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Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): Bjørn Arne Rukke, Tone Birkemoe

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Cimex lectularius