New Research Shows We May Finally Win The Battle Against Bed Bug Infestation


By Jackie O’Neal
 According to Emily Caldwell writing for the research communications office at Ohio State University, scientists there have determined that combining bed bugs’ own chemical signals with a common insect control agent makes that treatment more effective at killing the bugs.
"Once we put the alarm pheromone in the places bed bugs hide, boom, they instantly started moving around and moving through the desiccant dust," Joshua Benoit, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in entomology studying under David Denlinger at Ohio State University told Caldwell.
While some pheromones are known to attract species for reproductive purposes, these particular pheromones act more as a repellent, Benoit explained in an interview with Caldwell.
"These pheromones also can be bought from any chemical company. They’re well-established chemicals, are easy to make in the lab, and are readily available," he told Caldwell.
 The story went on to say two types of desiccant dusts were used in the experiments: diatomaceous earth, a naturally occurring, chalky substance, and a compound called Dri-die, made from a silica gel. Desiccant dusts are designed to disturb the bed bugs’ cuticle, particularly the waxy outer layer on insects that allows bugs to stay hydrated. Without the waxy protection, insects are more prone to dry up and die.
Young bed bugs exposed to the combination died in about a day, three days earlier than control bed bugs. Adult female bed bugs exposed to the combination survived for about 6 1/2 days, compared to females exposed only to the desiccant dust, which lived for an average of 17 days.
"Desiccant dust is messy, but it’s not toxic, so it can be used in agricultural settings, such as chicken coops, where bed bugs can be a big problem," Benoit told Caldwell.. The dust method also can be used in housing, where it would be sprinkled on carpet and eventually vacuumed.
"Before companies start selling desiccant dusts laced with alarm pheromones, more tests need to be carried out in room-sized arenas to determine any possible negative effects," Benoit told Caldwell.Even so, the researchers believe the use of alarm pheromones could increase the effectiveness of desiccant dusts and other kinds of residual insecticides used to kill bed bugs as well.
"We think that rather than pursue completely new pesticides, it’s better to use old pesticides in new ways," he told Caldwell.
This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and an Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center Director’s Fellowship to Benoit.
The study’s co-authors are Seth Phillips and David Denlinger of Ohio State’s Department of Entomology, and Travis Croxall, Brady Christensen and Jay Yoder of Wittenberg University’s Department of Biology.
Some statistics estimate the numbers of bed bugs are doubling each year in the U.S., U.K. and Europe.
Historically, infestations have been hard to eliminate, and it is a challenge to diagnose a bed bug infestation until it reaches a significant size. Although bed bugs are not known to carry disease, or be considered a serious health risk, some persons may have highly allergic reactions to a bite that can lead to anaphylactic shock, a condition with a reaction  similar to  persons allergic to bee stings.