Efficacy of bed bug control methods and techniques. Research project done at Rutgers University.

1. Efficacy of bed bug control methods and techniques
Wendy Wen, Narinderpal Singh
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) have plagued
apartments, houses, and other living quarters
throughout the world, and although various
insecticides have been sold and used with the
intentions of killing bed bugs, only few are effective.
The majority of labeled products available belong to a
pyrethroid class of insecticides to which a widespread
resistance has already been reported in the U.S.
Professional products using synthetic chemicals may
be highly effective in exterminating bed bug
infestations but may also be unsafe for households
with young children and pets. Oftentimes, the close
proximity of bed bugs to human sleeping areas
presents a high probability of human-insecticide
exposure when insecticides are used for controlling
bed bugs.
Although there are safer essential oil based consumer
products on the market, professional products that
use synthetic chemicals are generally thought to be
more effective in killing bed bugs. In this study, a
variety of insecticides were used to perform a series
of direct spray, residual, and choice bioassays with
the intention of determining if professional products
can be replaced with safer essential oil based
consumer products.
Consumer products: Bed Bug Bully, Bed Bug Fix, Bed
Bug Patrol, Ecoexempt IC2, EcoRaider, Rest Assured,
Stop Bugging Me
Professional Products: Demand, Phantom, Suspend,
Temprid, Transport, Zenprox
Introduction
Methods
Experiment 1 – Direct spray bioassay
Bed bugs were placed on filter paper in a small Petri dish
and treated with either an insecticide or water using a
Potter spray tower at the rate of 1 gallon/1000 ft2. After
being sprayed, the bugs were immediately transferred to
clean dishes with screened lids. Mortality rates were
recorded for 14 days.
Experiment 2 – Residual bioassay
Insecticides were sprayed directly on 6 in x 6 in cardboard
panels covered with white fabric at the rate of 1 gallon/1000
ft2 using a Potter spray tower. After one day, bed bugs were
released on the treated fabric and confined with a plastic
ring for 5 minutes. The bugs were then transferred to clean
Petri dishes. The fabric in the untreated control was sprayed
with water. Mortality rates were recorded for 14 days.
Experiment 3 – Choice bioassay
Pieces of fabric were sprayed with either an insecticide or
water using a Potter spray tower. Each piece of fabric
treated with an insecticide was placed in a large Petri dish
next to another piece of untreated fabric that was sprayed
with water. Bed bugs were placed in the center of the dish
and were given the choice of occupying either piece of
fabric. A Petri dish with two pieces of untreated fabric was
used as a control. Mortality rates were recorded for 16 days.
Abbot’s formula was used to calculate an adjusted mortality
percentage for all readings according to the control.
Results
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Mortality(%)
Days
Efficacy of Insecticides in Choice Bioassay
Bed Bug Patrol
Demand
EcoRaider
Phantom
Temprid
Experiment 1 – In the direct spray bioassay, consumer products, Bed
Bug Patrol and EcoRaider, were effective in killing bed bugs with a 100%
mortality rate after 14 days. Temprid, a professional product, was also
effective in killing bed bugs with a 100% mortality rate.
Experiment 2 – In the residual bioassay, consumer products, Bed Bug
Patrol and EcoRaider, were effective in killing bed bugs with a 100%
mortality rate after 14 days. Professional products, Temprid, Transport,
and Zenprox, were also effective in killing bed bugs with a 100% mortality
rate.
Experiment 3 – Consumer products that were effective in the direct
spray and residual bioassays (Bed Bug Patrol and EcoRaider) were not
effective in the choice bioassay, resulting in a less than 20% mortality
rate. Professional product, Temprid, still showed to be relatively effective,
with a 93% mortality rate.
Bed bugs were sprayed with insecticides
using a Potter spray tower.
Conclusion
Bed bugs were exposed to treated fabric for
five minutes during the residual bioassay.
Many essential oil based consumer products
were tested for their efficacy of killing bed
bugs.
The consumer products, Bed Bug Patrol and EcoRaider, were both effective in killing bed bugs in the direct spray
bioassay and the residual bioassay. However, while Temprid – a professional product – was able to maintain a high
mortality rate for all three bioassays, neither Bed Bug Patrol nor EcoRaider resulted in high mortality rates in the choice
bioassay. This suggests that while Bed Bug Patrol and EcoRaider are able to effectively kill bed bugs upon contact, they
also act as a repellent. When given the choice to stay on a fabric treated with either Bed Bug Patrol or EcoRaider or on
an untreated fabric, bed bugs tended to reside on the untreated fabric. By avoiding the insecticides, the bed bugs did
not come in contact with the insecticides and therefore did not die.
Although essential oil based consumer products can be just as effective as professional products in killing bed bugs and
may therefore seem like a safer alternative to professional products which use synthetic chemicals, the effective
essential oil based consumer products also tend to act too much as a repellent to properly lure bed bugs in order to kill
them. It is recommended that a combination of both essential oil based and synthetic chemical based products be used
to adequately eliminate bed bug infestations that occur regularly in households. Consumer products should be used in
sleeping areas where children and pets are present while professionals products should be used where infestations are
severe to control the bed bug problem from spreading.
Bed bugs were given the choice of occupying
a treated or untreated piece of fabric.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. Changlu Wang for providing me with the opportunity to work in his lab, Marcus Kwasek for
teaching me the basics of bed bug care and handling, and Narinderpal Singh for guiding me through the entire research
process.
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20
30
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50
60
70
80
90
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Mortality(%)
Days
Efficacy of Insecticides in Residual Bioassay
Bed Bug Patrol
Demand
EcoRaider
Phantom
Suspend
Temprid
Transport
Zenprox
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20
30
40
50
60
70
80
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100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Mortality(%)
Days
Efficacy of Insecticides in Direct Spray Bioassay
Bed Bug Bully
Bed Bug Fix
Bed Bug Patrol
Demand
Ecoexempt IC2
EcoRaider
Rest Assured
Stop Bugging Me
Temprid