Abstract
Numerous bed bug research papers have been published in the past 20 yr as a result of bed bug (Cimex spp.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) resurgence in the world.Yet, few of them focused on the management of the tropical bed bug, C. hemipterus (F.). Here, we describe a case of tropical bed bug infestation in two dormitory buildings and effectiveness of a tropical bed bug treatment program.The study site consisted of 125 dormitories in two buildings. An initial building-wide monitoring with ClimbUp interceptors revealed 25 infestations. The spatial distribution of bed bug infested rooms showed a significant aggregated distribution pattern with same infestation status for neighboring units sharing walls. All infested rooms were monitored every 2 wk and treated using a combination of steam and diatomaceous earth (DE) dust application if bed bugs were still found. For the 25 initially identified infested rooms, after 14 wk treatment, 44% of them no longer had bed bugs, and the mean number of bed bugs captured per room decreased by 94.1%. A combination of steam and DE dust treatment is an effective strategy for suppressing tropical bed bug infestations in dormitory environment.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5-11 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of economic entomology |
| Volume | 116 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 1 2023 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
Keywords
- Cimex hemipterus
- Diatomaceous earth dust
- control
- steam