Abstract
BACKGROUND: Over the past two decades, bed bugs (Cimex spp.) have resurged as common urban pests around the world. The search for efficient and safe control measures has become a key interest among researchers, manufacturers, and pest control professionals. In this study, we evaluated and compared the efficacy of steam, diatomaceous earth (DE) dust, and a combination of both against tropical bed bugs (Cimex hemipterus (F.)) under laboratory and field conditions. RESULTS: In the laboratory study, the mortality of bed bugs after 2 days of exposure to DE dust was 100%. When bed bugs stayed on the surface of an object or in cracks, a brief steam treatment (1 s) caused 100% mortality. However, when bed bugs were hidden under a fabric cover, steam application for 10 s only caused 89 ± 6% mortality. Bed bugs that survived steam treatment exhibited reduced feeding activity. In a 14-week long study, there was no significant difference in the reduction rate of bed bugs between steam treatment and DE dust treatment. A 37-week long control study showed that steam and steam plus DE dust treatments eliminated 97–100% of the infestations. CONCLUSION: Applying steam and DE dust are effective strategies for eliminating natural tropical bed bug infestations. Continuous follow-up monitoring and treatment until no bed bugs are found are crucial in completely eliminating the infestation of tropical bed bugs.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5026-5034 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Pest management science |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2024 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- Insect Science
Keywords
- Cimex hemipterus
- control
- diatomaceous earth
- steam