Addition of Alarm Pheromone Components Improves the Effectiveness of Desiccant Dusts AgainstCimex lectularius

Abstract

We demonstrate that the addition of bed bug, Cimex lectularius, alarm pheromone to desiccant formulations greatly enhances their effectiveness during short-term exposure. Two desiccant formulations, diatomaceous earth (DE) and Dri-die (silica gel), were applied at the label rate with and without bed bug alarm pheromone components, (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octenal, and a (E)-2-hexenal:(E)-2-octenal blend. First-instar nymphs and adult females were subjected to 10-min exposures, and water loss rates were used to evaluate the response. Optimal effectiveness was achieved with a pheromone concentration of 0.01 M. With Dri-die alone, the water loss was 21% higher than in untreated controls, and water loss increased nearly two times with (E)-2-hexenal and (E)-2-octenal and three times with the (E)-2-hexenal: (E)-2-octenal blend. This shortened survival of first-instar nymphs from 4 to 1 d, with a similar reduction noted in adult females. DE was effective only if supplemented with pheromone, resulting in a 50% increase in water loss over controls with the (E)-2-hexenal:(E)-2-octenal blend, and a survival decrease from 4 to 2 d in first-instar nymphs. Consistently, the addition of the pheromone blend to desiccant dust was more effective than adding either component by itself or by using Dri-die or DE alone. Based on observations in a small microhabitat, the addition of alarm pheromone components prompted bed bugs to leave their protective harborages and to move through the desiccant, improving the use of desiccants for control. We concluded that short exposure to Dri-die is a more effective treatment against bed bugs than DE and that the effectiveness of the desiccants can be further enhanced by incorporation of alarm pheromone. Presumably, the addition of alarm pheromone elevates excited crawling activity, thereby promoting cuticular changes that increase water loss.

Resistance differences between chlorpyrifos and synthetic pyrethroids in Cimex lectularius population from Denmark

“…One opportunity could be to introduce new classes of insecticides with different target sites or mechanisms of action. However, a more promising way would be to develop new control strategies based on improved monitoring methods combined with alternative, physically acting, control methods as steam, diatomaceous earth, pheromones (e.g., Benoit et al 2009) etc., but this calls for more research on the biology of bed bugs.…”

Bed Bug Detection: Current Technologies and Future Directions

“…The resurgence of bed bug populations has resulted in a renewed interest in the chemical ecology of these pests, which in turn, has led to the discovery of two new alarm pheromones and new insights into how bed bugs use them. [64][65][66][67] Although alarm pheromones have been incorporated into some trapping or monitoring devices, they have also been used as part of a control strategy, 68 and alarm pheromones may play a role in canine detection of bed bugs (discussed below).…”

Mechanisms that contribute to the establishment and persistence of bed bug infestations

“…The alarm pheromone serves multiple roles in relation to bed bug behavior (Weeks et al, 2011). These compounds induce a typical alarm response, which is characterized by frenzied movement and repulsion upon colony disturbance (Benoit et al, 2009b;Feldlaufer et al, 2010;Levinson and Bar Ilan, 1971;Liedtke et al, 2011). The second role of alarm pheromones is during mating interactions.…”