Abstract Insecticide dust formulations are considered as more effective for controlling the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius (L) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), than residual sprays. Various environmental factors may affect the efficacy of insecticide dusts. In this study, we evaluated the effect of moisture on the efficacy of three insecticide dusts against C. lectularius. Moisture was created using two methods: applying steam to insecticide dust-treated tiles and aging insecticide dust-treated tiles in chambers with various levels of relative humidity (RH). In the steam treatment, three insecticides including Cimexa (92.1% amorphous silica gel), Alpine (0.25% dinotefuran, 95% diatomaceous earth), and Tempo (1% cyfluthrin) were evaluated. Exposure to steam significantly reduced the efficacy of all three insecticide dusts. Among the three insecticides, the efficacy of Cimexa was significantly higher than Alpine and Tempo. In the different RH treatments, Cimexa treated tiles that were aged under different (52, 75, and 100%) RH conditions for 1 and 2 mo caused significantly lower mortality to C. lectularius than nonaged Cimexa. We conclude that both, a short period of exposure to steam and long-period aging in a moist environment, can significantly reduce the efficacy of insecticide dusts. Moisture needs to be considered when applying insecticide dusts for controlling bed bug infestations.

中文翻译：

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水分对选定杀虫剂粉尘对常见臭虫 Cimex lectularius（半翅目：Cimicidae）的功效的影响

摘要 杀虫剂粉尘制剂被认为比残留喷雾剂更有效地控制常见的臭虫 Cimex lectularius (L) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)。各种环境因素可能会影响杀虫剂粉尘的功效。在这项研究中，我们评估了水分对三种杀虫剂粉尘对 C. lectularius 的功效的影响。使用两种方法产生水分：将蒸汽施加到经过杀虫剂粉尘处理的瓷砖上，以及在具有不同相对湿度 (RH) 的室内老化经过杀虫剂粉尘处理的瓷砖。在蒸汽处理中，评估了三种杀虫剂，包括 Cimexa（92.1% 无定形硅胶）、Alpine（0.25% 呋虫胺、95% 硅藻土）和 Tempo（1% 氟氯氰菊酯）。暴露于蒸汽中会显着降低所有三种杀虫剂粉尘的功效。在这三种杀虫剂中，Cimexa 的疗效明显高于 Alpine 和 Tempo。在不同的 RH 处理中，Cimexa 处理在不同（52%、75% 和 100%）RH 条件下老化 1 和 2 个月的瓷砖导致 C. lectularius 的死亡率显着低于未老化的 Cimexa。我们得出的结论是，短期接触蒸汽和在潮湿环境中长期老化都会显着降低杀虫剂粉尘的功效。在使用杀虫剂粉尘来控制臭虫侵扰时，需要考虑水分。在潮湿环境中短期暴露于蒸汽和长期老化，可显着降低杀虫粉尘的药效。在使用杀虫剂粉尘来控制臭虫侵扰时，需要考虑水分。在潮湿环境中短期暴露于蒸汽和长期老化，可显着降低杀虫粉尘的药效。在使用杀虫剂粉尘来控制臭虫侵扰时，需要考虑水分。