Baiting strategies against bed bugs

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are arguably the most challenging pest to control indoors. They are particularly challenging in military settings because of potential disease transmission, direct pain and suffering due to bites and secondary infections, health risks associated with metabolites in their feces, psychological distress, sleeplessness and mental anguish, rapid population growth, they are refractory to inbreeding, they are readily transported with deployments across continents, unlike most hematophagous insects, all life stages bite, they can withstand starvation for long periods of time, their cryptic habits challenge efforts to target them with pesticides, resistance to pyrethroids and neonicotinoids is pervasive, and spatial heat treatments are expensive. Therefore, innovative bed bug interventions are sorely needed. Baits are an exceptionally effective means of delivering insecticides for many reasons. We proposed to develop, validate, and evaluate a new baiting approach for bed bug control using an artificial bed bug baiting system that attracts all life stages of the bed bug and stimulates them to feed on a toxic liquid bait. Our specific aims include identification of chemical attractants, developing an artificial baiting system, consisting of attractants (host odors, CO₂, and heat), feeding stimulants to maximize engorgement, and an insecticide in an optimized formulation, development of bait designs based on a working prototype, and evaluation the baiting system in a simulated field environment and in infested homes.