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Age structure of bed bug (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) aggregations affects the nymphal feeding success.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Bed bugs (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) are a group of blood-feeding ectoparasites. They mainly specialize on bats and birds, but a few species are important human pests. They exhibit several unique adaptations for their parasitic lifestyle. Among those, bed bug aggregations represent a striking example of a sub-social structure. However, their benefits for the bed bugs as well as their potential for bed bug control are largely unexplored. Young nymphs are known to disperse from the aggregations much less than older ones or adults. We therefore found possible that the aggregation age structure is connected with success in finding host and tested the effect of presence of adults on nymphal feeding success. RESULTS:We tested the effect of presence of adults on feeding success of first-instar nymphs using an artificial feeding system. We found that presence of fed adults causes larger proportion of nymphs to feed. CONCLUSIONS:Based on our data, fed bed bugs seem to trigger the young nymphs to actively forage. Since the first instar is much less viable than later stages, our finding points to an adaptive behavior that economizes on foraging energy cost. In the context of bed bug control, knowledge on such behavior emphasizes the prevention of fed bed bugs from returning to harborages. Bed bug traps may thus be used not just as means of bed bug monitoring, but also as means of control.

SUBMITTER: Balvin O

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6693277 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Age structure of bed bug (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) aggregations affects the nymphal feeding success.

Balvín Ondřej O Chajma Petr P Naylor Richard R

Parasites & vectors 20190813 1

<h4>Background</h4>Bed bugs (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) are a group of blood-feeding ectoparasites. They mainly specialize on bats and birds, but a few species are important human pests. They exhibit several unique adaptations for their parasitic lifestyle. Among those, bed bug aggregations represent a striking example of a sub-social structure. However, their benefits for the bed bugs as well as their potential for bed bug control are largely unexplored. Young nymphs are known to disperse from the ...[more]

PMID: 31409390

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Project description:BackgroundBed bugs are hematophagous insects with a long history of presence in human communities. Over the last three decades, infestations by bed bugs in human dwellings have drastically increased, leading to a rise in bed bug concerns. Nevertheless, very little is known about the bed bug species and their population diversity in Algeria.MethodA pilot entomological inventory was performed in May 2019 in Tizi Ouzou, in northern Algeria. The gathered bed bug specimens were identified by morphological and molecular approaches, followed by neighbor-joining and network phylogenetic analyses.ResultsA total of seven out of 12 requested locations were allowed to inspect for bed bug infestation. Of these, three locations were found with active bed bug infestations. A total of 145 specimens belonging to different life stages [egg (21), nymph (74), adult male (17), and female (33)] were collected and analyzed using morphological and molecular approaches. The adult specimens were identified as Cimex lectularius according to specific morphological criteria, most importantly the pronotum laterally expanded with more flattened extreme margins. Morphological identification of the adults was confirmed further by conventional PCR targeting 450 bp fragment of the COI gene. All the nymphs and eggs were also molecularly identified as C. lectularius. Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree reconstructed with the collected specimens provides clues on the presence of two closely phylogenetic groups. The first one gathers our samples of Algeria with previously reported COI haplotype sequences from Asian, European, and North American countries. The second group encompasses a lesser-documented haplotype reported in Europe and Central America. These findings were further confirmed by network analysis.ConclusionsThese results provide evidence of established C. lectularius infestation in Algeria and its potential dispersal capacity by travelers or immigrants and will help future management of these ectoparasites.

Dataset Information

Age structure of bed bug (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) aggregations affects the nymphal feeding success.

Publications

Age structure of bed bug (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) aggregations affects the nymphal feeding success.

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