Early detection o f residualpopulations o f domestic triatomine bugs that survive insecticide treatment is a key component o f successful evaluation and vigilance fo r Chagas disease control. We have recently demonstrated that sheets o f paper, tacked on to the walls o f infested houses, can become streaked with the faeces o f triatomine bugs and thus reveal thepresence o f an infestation. In t...

For many insect species, group living provides physiological and behavioral benefits, including faster development. Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) live in aggregations composed of eggs, nymphs, and adults of various ages. Our aim was to determine whether bed bug nymphs reared in groups develop faster than solitary nymphs. We reared first instars either in isolation or in groups from hatching t...

The discussion which followed my last communication and the statement itself were so hurried that I failed to insist on certain aspects which I thought were already known. Then and later, I also realized that for some colleagues the idea of transmission of leprosy by mosquitoes was totally new, although it first came up thirty years ago. I do not claim to have opened a new avenue, nor to have b...

Bed bug problems have been increasing since the 1980s, and accordingly, there have been intensive efforts to better understand their biology and behavior for control purposes. Understanding bed bug diffusion rates and dispersal patterns from one site to another (or lack thereof) is a key component in prevention and control campaigns. This study analyzed diffusion rates and dispersal patterns in...

Residual biopesticide treatments of Beauveria bassiana were tested against the bed bug Cimex lectularius. An oil formulation of conidia was applied to different substrates. Bed bugs were exposed for 1 h, transferred to an unsprayed environment and monitored for mortality. Separate bioassays evaluated the effect of bed bug strain, sex, life stage, and exposure substrate on mortality. Rapid morta...

Large numbers of virus particles were identified by electron microscopy in the epithelial cells of the ventriculus of the bedbug, Cimex lectularius. The morphology of the virus particles and the presence of a segmented double-stranded RNA genome imply that this isolate should be included in the Reoviridae.