Repellency of N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) During Host-seeking Behavior of Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) in Binary Choice Olfactometer Assays

Overview

Journal J Med Entomol

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Biology

Date 2024 Jun 5

PMID 38839102

Authors

Christopher C Hayes

Coby Schal

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) is one of the most prolific and burdensome indoor pests, and suppression of bed bug populations is a global priority. Understanding bed bug behavior is important to the development of new tactics for their control. Major gaps exist in our understanding of how host cues, insecticide resistance, and exposure modality impact the repellency of formulated products to bed bugs. Here, we validate the use of a binary choice olfactometer for assessing bed bug repellency behaviors using N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) in a dose-dependent manner, while considering the role of host-associated stimuli (with vs. without CO2), exposure modality (olfactory vs. olfactory and contact), and resistance status (susceptible vs. resistant) on repellency. We observed that host-seeking insecticide-susceptible bed bugs were repelled only when olfactorily exposed to high concentrations of DEET. However, exposure to DEET by contact repelled insecticide-susceptible bed bugs at 100-fold lower dose of DEET. Further, we demonstrate for the first time that insecticide-resistant bed bugs were significantly more responsive to DEET than susceptible bed bugs. We conclude that the 2-choice olfactometer is an effective tool for assessing the behavioral responses of bed bugs to spatial and contact repellents.

Citing Articles

Repellency and toxicity of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs) to bed bugs.

Hayes C, Schal C PLoS One. 2025; 20(1):e0313595.

PMID: 39752363 PMC: 11698412. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313595.

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