Feeding Variation And Environmental Effects On Susceptibility Of Cimex Lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) To Chlorfenapyr Insecticide

Bed bugs were evaluated in the laboratory to determine the effects of varying feeding regimens and environmental conditions on their susceptibility to two commercial products containing chlorfenapyr, Phantom® II Aerosol and Phantom® SC Insecticide. In the first study, bed bugs were reared under four different feeding regimens (daily, random, five-day period, and seven-day period) and exposed to both products over a three-week period. In the second study, bed bugs were exposed only to Phantom SC Insecticide and held under differing environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, and light) to determine their susceptibility to chlorfenapyr over 21 days. The temperature regimens maintained in the second study were either 20oC or 26oC and the humidity levels were 20-60%, 40%, or 75%. The light to dark cycle was 10 hours light:14 hours dark, 14 hours light:10 hours dark, or variable at 8-12 hours light:8-12 hours dark. Results show higher mortality with Phantom II Aerosol under the seven-day feeding regimen and daily feeding with Phantom SC Insecticide. Higher temperatures and increased humidity regimens increased the susceptibility of bed bugs to Phantom SC Insecticide while the duration of light or dark photoperiod did
not have any effect.