Abstract
The behavioral responses of two bed bug species, Cimex lectularius L. and C. hemipterus (F.), to conspecific or heterospecific nymphal aldehyde blends were examined using a two-choice olfactometer. Volatile cues from exuviae or a synthetic blend containing (E)-2-hexenal, 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octenal, and 4-oxo-(E)-2-octenal were tested. In both species, the adults settled preferentially on the olfactometer treatment side when conspecific volatile aldehyde cues were provided. When tested with heterospecific volatile aldehyde cues, only adult C. lectularius preferentially responded to C. hemipterus volatile cues. Adult C. hemipterus was indifferent to the aldehyde blend of C. lectularius. Potential implications of the finding on bed bug biology and practical pest management are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Availability of data and material
All relevant data are included within the paper.
Code availability
The code used for statistical analysis is available upon request.
References
Anderson J, Ferrandino F, McKnight S, Nolen J, Miller J (2009) A carbon dioxide, heat and chemical lure trap for the bedbug, Cimex lectularius. Med Vet Entomol 23:99–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00790.x
Benoit JB, Phillips SA, Croxall TJ, Christensen BS, Yoder JA, Denlinger DL (2009) Addition of alarm pheromone components improves the effectiveness of desiccant dusts against Cimex lectularius. J Med Entomol 46:572–579. https://doi.org/10.1603/033.046.0323
Campbell BE, Koehler PG, Buss LJ, Baldwin RW (2016) Recent documentation of the tropical bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) in Florida since the common bed bug resurgence. Flor Entomol 99:549–551. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.099.0333
Choe DH, Park H, Vo C, Knyshov A (2016) Chemically mediated arrestment of the bed bug, Cimex lectularius, by volatiles associated with exuviae of conspecifics. PLoS ONE 11:e0159520. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159520
Dery M, Arriola K, Lee CY, Choe DH (2020) Ontogenesis of aldehyde pheromones in two synanthropic bed bug species (Heteroptera: Cimicidae). Insects 11:759. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110759
Doggett SL, Cain T (2018) The bed bug resurgence in Australia. In: Doggett SL, Miller DM, Lee CY (eds) Advances in the biology and management of modern bed bugs. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, pp 81–86
Domingue MJ, Kramer M, Feldlaufer MF (2010) Sexual dimorphism of arrestment and gregariousness in the bed bug (Cimex lectularius) in response to cuticular extracts from nymphal exuviae. Physiol Entomol 35:203–213. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3032.2010.00738.x
Feldlaufer MF, Domingue MJ, Chauhan KR, Aldrich JR (2010) 4-oxo-aldehydes from the dorsal abdominal glands of the bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). J Med Entomol 47:140–143. https://doi.org/10.1603/ME09210
Fourie J, Crafford D (2018) The bed bug resurgence in Africa. In: Doggett SL, Miller DM, Lee CY (eds) Advances in the biology and management of modern bed bugs. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, pp 87–94
Gapon DA (2016) First records of the tropical bed bug Cimex hemipterus (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) from Russia. Zoosyst Rossica 25:239–242. https://doi.org/10.31610/zsr/2016.25.2.239
Gbakima AA, Terry BC, Kanja F, Kortequee S, Dukuley I, Sahr F (2002) High prevalence of bedbugs Cimex hemipterus and Cimex lectularius in camps for internally displaced persons in Freetown, Sierra Leone: a pilot humanitarian investigation. West Afr J Med 21:268–271. https://doi.org/10.4314/wajm.v21i4.27994
Gershman SN, Harrison SA, Jones SC (2019) Opportunities for female choice in the bed bug Cimex lectularius. Ethology 125:92–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.12832
Gries R, Britton R, Holmes M, Zhai H, Draper J, Gries G (2015) Bed bug aggregation pheromone finally identified. Angew Chem Int Ed 54:1135–1138. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201409890
Harraca V, Ignell R, Löfstedt C, Ryne C (2010a) Characterization of the antennal olfactory system of the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). Chem Senses 35:195–204. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjp096
Harraca V, Ryne C, Ignell R (2010b) Nymphs of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) produce anti-aphrodisiac defence against conspecific males. BMC Biol 8:121. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-8-121
Kilpinen O, Liu D, Adamsen APS (2012) Real-time measurement of volatile chemicals released by bed bugs during mating activities. PLoS ONE 7:e50981. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0050981
Kim DY, Billen J, Doggett SL, Lee CY (2017) Differences in climbing ability of Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). J Econ Entomol 110:1179–1186. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tox039
Komatsu N, Shirakawa A, Nakamura H, Fujii K (2018) Distribution of tropical bedbug Cimex hemipterus in Tokyo, Japan. Med Entomol Zool 69:95–98. https://doi.org/10.7601/mez.69.95
Künckel MJ (1886) The bed-bug and its odoriferous apparatus. Ann Mag Nat Hist 18:167–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222938609459954
Lee CY, Hirao M, Wang C, Xu Y (2018) The bed bug resurgence in Asia. In: Doggett SL, Miller DM, Lee CY (eds) Advances in the biology and management of modern bed bugs. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, pp 69–79
Levinson HZ, Levinson AR, Maschwitz U (1974) Action and composition of the alarm pheromone of the bedbug Cimex lectularius L. Naturwissenschaften 61:684–685. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00606522
Lewis CD, Levine BA, Vargo EL, Schal C, Booth W (2020) Recent detection of multiple populations of the tropical bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) exhibiting kdr-associated mutations in Hawaii. J Med Entomol 57:1077–1081. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa022
Liedtke HC, Åbjörnsson K, Harraca V, Knudsen JT, Wallin EA, Hedenström E, Ryne C (2011) Alarm pheromones and chemical communication in nymphs of the tropical bed bug Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). PLoS ONE 6:e18156. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0018156
Masini P, Zampetti S, Miñón Llera G, Biancolini F, Moretta I, Romani R, Tramontana M, Hansel K, Stingeni L (2020) Infestation by the tropical bedbug Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae): first report in Italy. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 34:e28–e30. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.15876
Moreira JA, Millar JG (2005) Short and simple syntheses of 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal and homologs: pheromone components and defensive compounds of Hemiptera. J Chem Ecol 31:965–968. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-004-1978-1
Naylor R, Balvin O, Delaunay P, Akhoundi M (2018) The bed bug resurgence in Europe and Russia. In: Doggett SL, Miller DM, Lee CY (eds) Advances in the biology and management of modern bed bugs. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, pp 59–68
Newberry K (1988) Production of a hybrid between the bedbugs Cimex hemipterus and Cimex lectularius. Med Vet Entomol 2:297–300. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.1988.tb00199.x
Newberry K (1989) The effects on domestic infestations of Cimex lectularius bedbugs of interspecific mating with C. hemipterus. Med Vet Entomol 3:407–414. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.1989.tb00248.x
Newberry K, Jansen EJ, Thibaud GR (1987) The occurrence of the bedbugs Cimex hemipterus and Cimex lectularius in northern Natal and KwaZulu, South Africa. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 81:431–433. https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(87)90160-X
Omori N (1939) Experimental studies on the cohabitation and crossing of two species of bed-bugs (Cimex lectularius L. and C. hemipterus F.) and on the effects of interchanging of males of one species for the other, every alternate days, upon the fecundity and longevity of females of each species. Acta Jpn Med Trop 1:127–154
Prisniy YA (2020) Detection of the tropical bed bug Cimex hemipterus (Fabricius, 1803) in Belgorod (Russia). Field Biol J 2:272–275. https://doi.org/10.18413/2658-3453-2020-2-4-272-275
R Core Team (2020) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org. Accessed 14 Jan 2021
Roth S, Balvín O, Siva-Jothy MT, Di Iorio O, Benda P, Calva O, Faundez EI, Anwarali Khan FA, McFadzen M, Lehnert MP, Naylor R, Simov N, Morrow EH, Willassen E, Reinhardt K (2019) Bedbugs evolved before their bat hosts and did not co-speciate with ancient humans. Curr Biol 29:1847–1853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.04.048
Siljander E, Gries R, Khaskin G, Gries G (2008) Identification of the airborne aggregation pheromone of the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius. J Chem Ecol 34:708–718. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-008-9446-y
Singh RN, Singh K, Prakash S, Mendki MJ, Rao KM (1996) Sensory organs on the body parts of the bed-bug Cimex hemipterus fabricius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) and the anatomy of its central nervous system. Int J Insect Morphol Embryol 25:183–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/0020-7322(95)00016-X
Staddon BW (1979) The scent glands of Heteroptera. Adv Insect Physiol 14:351–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2806(08)60055-7
Ulrich KR, Kramer M, Feldlaufer MF (2016) Ability of bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) defensive secretions (E)-2-hexenal and (E)-2-octenal to attract adults of the common bed bug Cimex lectularius. Physiol Entomol 41:103–110. https://doi.org/10.1111/phen.12129
Usinger RL (1966) Monograph of Cimicidae (Hemiptera-Heteroptera). Entomological Society of America, College Park
Walpole DE (1988) Cross-mating studies between two species of bedbugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) with a description of a marker of interspecific mating. S Afr J Sci 84:215–216
Walpole DE, Newberry K (1988) A field study of mating between two species of bedbug in northern KwaZulu, South Africa. Med Vet Entomol 2:293–296. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.1988.tb00198.x
Wang C, Gibb T, Bennett GW, McKnight S (2009) Bed bug (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) attraction to pitfall traps baited with carbon dioxide, heat, and chemical lure. J Econ Entomol 102:1580–1585. https://doi.org/10.1603/029.102.0423
Weeks ENI, Birkett MA, Cameron MM, Pickett JA, Logan JG (2011a) Semiochemicals of the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), and their potential for use in monitoring and control. Pest Manag Sci 67:10–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.2024
Weeks ENI, Logan JG, Gezan SA, Woodcock CM, Birkett MA, Pickett JA, Cameron MM (2011b) A bioassay for studying behavioural responses of the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) to bed bug-derived volatiles. Bull Entomol Res 101:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485309990599
Acknowledgements
We thank Kathleen Campbell (UC Riverside) for maintaining the bed bug colonies, Jocelyn Millar (UC Riverside) for providing 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal, and 4-oxo-(E)-2-octenal, and Brian Dinh (UC Riverside) for assistance in conducting the experiments.
Funding
This research was funded in part by the Carl Strom/Western Exterminator Scholarship in Urban Entomology, the Robert and Peggy van den Bosch Memorial Scholarship and the Harry S. Smith Biological Control Award.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethics approval
Not applicable.
Consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
All authors approved the publication of this manuscript.
Research involving Human Participants and/or Animals
No animals requiring ethics approval were involved in this study.
Informed consent
Not applicable.
Additional information
Communicated by Marko Rohlfs.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dery, M., Lee, CY. & Choe, DH. Differential responses to aldehyde pheromone blends in two bed bug species (Heteroptera: Cimicidae). Chemoecology 31, 397–403 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-021-00359-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-021-00359-z