Bedbugs Attack New York

[William Joyce]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/12/30/2007-12-30_bedbug_epidemic_attacks_new_york_city.html

A surge in global travel and mobility in all socioeconomic classes, combined with less toxic urban pesticides and the banning of DDT created a perfect storm for reviving the critters, which had been virtually dormant since World War II, experts say.

 

[waltky]

Insecticide resistant bedbugs...

Bed Bugs Developing Resistance to Common Insecticides
January 28, 2016 - They’re ugly and suck blood and now researchers say the lowly bedbugs are becoming resistant to the most common insecticides used to kill them.

Writing in the Journal of Medical Entomology, researchers from Virginia Tech and New Mexico State University say the overuse of commercial chemicals has made many of the pests resistant to the compounds. "While we all want a powerful tool to fight bed bug infestations, what we are using as a chemical intervention is not working as effectively as it was designed and, in turn, people are spending a lot of money on products that aren't working," said Troy Anderson, an assistant professor of entomology in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Specifically, the researchers looked at a group of commonly used pesticides called neonicotinoids, which are often used together with pyrethroids to treat bedbugs. "Companies need to be vigilant for hints of declining performance of products that contain neonicotinoids," said Alvaro Romero, an assistant professor of entomology at New Mexico State University. "For example, bedbugs persisting on previously treated surfaces might be an indication of resistance."

It turns out, the insecticides used to kill bedbugs don't even scratch the surface, a study by Virginia Tech and New Mexico State University found.​

To determine the bed bugs’ resistance levels, the researchers took samples of the creatures from several locations. Some had been exposed to neonicotinoids and some had been isolated in a lab with no exposure to pesticides. In yet another group, the bugs had been exposed to the poison, but not since 2008. The bugs from the non-exposed group died when exposed to a small amount of insecticide, while those exposed in 2008 showed “moderate resistance.” The groups which had been exposed to pesticide “had much higher levels of resistance,” the researchers said.

When exposed to neonicotinoids, bed bugs produce "detoxifying enzymes" to fight the effects of the chemicals. Those bugs with a history of exposure appeared to have more of the enzymes than their susceptible counterparts. This, researchers say, could mean having to look for other ways to stem the spread of the blood-sucking insects. "Unfortunately, the insecticides we were hoping would help solve some of our bed bug problems are no longer as effective as they used to be, so we need to re-evaluate some of our strategies for fighting them," said Anderson. "If resistance is detected, products with different modes of action need to be considered, along with the use of non-chemical methods," said Romero.

Bed Bugs Developing Resistance to Common Insecticides

 

[waltky]

Scanning bedbug DNA for weaknesses...

Bed-bug DNA scanned for vulnerabilities
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 - Scientists have sequenced the entire genome of the bed bug to help work out how to eliminate the pest, which has been developing resistance to existing insecticide sprays.

The findings, in Nature Communications, show how the parasite has adapted to survive by making detoxifying enzymes that destroy pesticides. And it has grown thicker skin, which helps guard against chemical attack. But there is a stage in the bug's life when it might be easier to kill. This is as a young nymph, before it has had its first taste of human blood, according to the two teams of international researchers - one based at the American Museum of Natural History and the other working out of the University of Cincinnati and Baylor College of Medicine, Texas.

Bed bugs survive on a diet of blood alone, and it is not until the pest has begun to feed that some of the genes that govern these self-defence mechanisms against pesticides get switched on. Another weakness might be their relationship with bacteria that live on, in and around them - their microbiome. The researchers discovered the bed-bug microbiome contains more than 1,500 genes that probably contribute to their growth and reproduction. Attacking these beneficial bacteria might prove to be a powerful weapon against bed bugs, alongside new pesticides.

Dr George Amato, one of the study authors from the museum, said: "We have been learning so much about microbiomes recently, and we know that it's not just that micro-organisms live on and in individuals, but in many ways play a critical role. "This might provide a vulnerability we can use." Some of the work is part of a project called i5k - an ambitious initiative to sequence the genomes of 5,000 arthropod species, to benefit medicine, agriculture and ecology.

Bed-bug DNA scanned for vulnerabilities - BBC News

 

[waltky]

Usin' colors against bedbugs...

Bed bugs repulsed by certain colours
Mon, 25 Apr 2016 - Bed bugs appear to have a strong preference for particular colours - a quirk that could be used against the troublesome pests, say scientists.

According to the work in the Journal of Medical Entomology, the blood-sucking insects love black and red but hate yellow and green. This information could help make better traps to lure and catch the bugs. But it is too soon to say if yellow sheets can stop them nesting in your bed, say the US researchers. Bed bugs are tiny and they like to live close to their next meal - your blood. They can hide in the seam of your mattress or a joint in your bed frame. They tend to prefer fabric and wood over plastic and metal.

But Dr Corraine McNeill and colleagues wanted to find out if colours affected where bed bugs might dwell. They carried out a series of experiments in their lab, placing bed bugs in dishes with different colour shelters made out of card. Rather than taking cover at random, the bugs appeared to select the shelters according to their colour, showing a preference for black and red.

Dr McNeill said: "We originally thought the bed bugs might prefer red because blood is red and that's what they feed on. "However, after doing the study, the main reason we think they preferred red colours is because bed bug themselves appear red, so they go to these harborages because they want to be with other bed bugs." The bugs appeared to dislike yellow and green shelters, possibly because these bright colours remind them of brightly lit areas that are less safe to hide in, say the researchers.

Past studies have found these two colours are unattractive to other blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes and sandflies. Dr McNeill said: "I always joke with people, 'Make sure you get yellow sheets!' But to be very honest, I think that would be stretching the results a little too much. "I don't know how far I would go to say don't get a red suitcase or red sheets, but the research hasn't been done yet, so we can't really rule that out completely."

How to spot bed bugs: