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Methods for Testing Repellents Against Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) - PubMed Skip to main page content
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. 2021 Feb 9;114(1):265-273.
doi: 10.1093/jee/toaa304.

Methods for Testing Repellents Against Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

Anne Krüger, Erik Schmolz  1 , Arlette Vander Pan  1
Affiliations

Methods for Testing Repellents Against Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

Anne Krüger et al. J Econ Entomol. .

Abstract

Bed bug repellents should not only prevent humans from being bitten but impede an infestation of personal belongings. Only a few test proposals for evaluating the efficacy of repellents against bed bugs have been published so far. In the present study, two test systems were assessed for efficacy testing with five potential bed bug repellents (cinnamon oil, icaridin, N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), permethrin, and margosa extract). The first test setup was a harborage choice test system that consisted of a crystallizing dish with a treated and an untreated harborage. Sixty minutes and 24 h after treatment, DEET, icaridin, and cinnamon oil showed the highest repellency with a median proportion of at least 99% repelled bed bugs. The second test system was a barrier test. Bed bugs were attracted by CO2 and heat to cross filter papers treated with the potential repellents. The repellency of substances was significantly lower in comparison to the harborage choice test, except for DEET. The latter showed the highest repellency (97%) against bed bugs 24 h after application compared to controls. Results show that bed bugs are less sensitive to repellents when searching for a bloodmeal than when searching for a shelter.

Keywords: DEET; cinnamon oil; repellents; simulated-use test; test system.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Top view of the harborage choice test setup. (a) Crystallizing dish with bed bugs; (b) treated, and (c) untreated filter paper harborage.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Barrier test system. (A) Overview of the test setup; (a) cylindrical container; (b) kitchen paper towel pocket; (c) plastic tube base; (d) acrylic glass tube closed with a plug with an extraction hose leading to the suction pump; (e) tube connected to the test chamber; (f) test chamber; (g) tube connected to the steel container; (h) steel container; (i) CO2 flow meter; (j) CO2 gas cylinder. (B) Top view of the cylindrical container; (b) kitchen paper towel pocket; (d) acrylic glass tube closed with a plug with an extraction hose leading to the suction pump. (C) Top view of test chamber; (e) tube connected to the test chamber; (f) test chamber, (g) tube connected to the steel container. (D) Top view of the steel container; (k) glass aquarium as bed bug trap with two filter papers as harborage; (l) thermometer; (m) plastic hose for CO2 supply; (n) heating plate with Erlenmeyer flask and water.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Distribution of bed bugs in the harborage choice test (untreated shelter, treated shelter, and outside both shelters) at the observation time points within the first 60 min and 24 h after release. Different substances were used for the experiments: (a) icaridin, (b) DEET, (c) cinnamon oil, (d) permethrin, (e) margosa extract. Points indicate the median, and whiskers indicate the interquartile range (Q1 and Q3).
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Repelled bed bugs in the harborage choice test found in the untreated harborages 24 h after release compared to bed bugs found in the more visited control harborages. The circles indicate biological replicates, and the horizontal lines represent the medians. Mid-p exact tests with resulting p-values adjusted using Holm correction. Significant differences in repellency of the different substances are marked with an asterisk (*).
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Repelled bed bugs in the barrier test that did not cross the treated barrier within 24 h after release compared to bed bugs that did not leave the harborage in the controls. The circles indicate biological replicates, and the horizontal lines represent the medians. Mid-p exact tests with resulting p-values adjusted using Holm correction. Significant differences in repellency of the different substances are marked with an asterisk (*).
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