Using Monitors To Detect And Assist In Treatment Of The Common Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

Abstract:
Cimex lectularius, continues to spread across the world, and developing effective and efficient control and monitoring techniques is the focus of researchers and pest control professionals. In the research presented here, interception devices were implemented as part of a bed bug treatment protocol and the impact the devices had on the bed bug population were evaluated. Results show that interception devices can impact bed bug control by capturing bed bugs between services, many of which were hiding in difficult-to-treat environments and traveling towards the host for food. Interception devices were also evaluated as a tool to assist in the detection of bed bug infestations by installing the monitors in all apartments within a building. Installing devices combined with visual inspections was effective in detecting infestations. Stand-alone interception devices detected low-level bed bug infestations: 68% within 4 weeks of installation compared to 57% by visual inspection, and they were 20-64% more efficient to use in whole-building monitoring programs Results of these studies provide insight on how to control bed bugs more efficiently and effectively.