Changlu Wang

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | Rutgers · Department of Entomology

Figure S1. Representative GC chromatogram of the essential oil of catnip cv. CR9 followed by the mass spectra of the major compound of the essential oil, (Z,E)-nepetalactone. Figure S2. Representative GC chromatogram of the essential oil of oregano cv. Pierre followed by the mass spectra of the major compound of the essential oil, carvacrol. Figure...

Plant based natural products have been widely used as antibacterial and insect repellent agents globally. Because of growing resistance in bacterial plant pathogens and urban pests to current methods of control, combined with the long-and short-term negative impact of certain chemical controls in humans, non-target organisms, and the environment, f...

Insecticide resistance is one of the factors contributing to the resurgence of the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. This study aimed to profile the resistance levels of field-collected C. lectularius populations to two neonicotinoids and one pyrethroid insecticide and the performance of selected insecticide sprays and an inorganic dust. The sus...

The Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), activities were monitored both inside and outside of two coffee bean warehouses in New Jersey from September 2018 to October 2020, using pheromone traps, sticky traps, light traps, and water traps. The first P. interpunctella adult appeared on pheromone traps when the average weekly temperature...

Bed bugs are an important group of medical and urban insect pests. They are obligate blood-feeders. Their bites may cause skin irritation and allergic reactions and, under some circumstances, may lead to mental and other health issues. Despite numerous discoveries on the biology of these obnoxious pests and progress in control strategies over the l...

The tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus (F.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) is an important public-health pest that feeds on the blood of humans and some other animals. To explore the function of the target genes of C. hemipterus, it is essential to select suitable reference genes for the accurate quantification of gene expression. Here, we selected 10 freq...

The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., is a difficult urban pest to control. A simulated field study was conducted to compare the efficacy of steam application and an insecticide mixture spray (0.05% acetamiprid and 0.06% bifenthrin mixture) against C. lectularius. Three types of furniture (desk chair, upholstered armchair, and wooden table) wer...

Numerous bed bug research papers have been published in the past 20 yr as a result of bed bug (Cimex spp.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) resurgence in the world. Yet, few of them focused on the management of the tropical bed bug, C. hemipterus (F.). Here, we describe a case of tropical bed bug infestation in two dormitory buildings and effectiveness of a...

Pests are frequently found in homes, especially in apartment buildings in low-income communities. We investigated the prevalence and patterns of pest infestations in low-income communities in four cities (Jersey City, Linden, Paterson, Trenton) in New Jersey, USA. Resident interviews, visual inspections, and the placement of monitors were used to i...

The house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, creates significant public health risks for residents in low-income multi-family dwellings (MFDs). This study was designed to evaluate the spatial dis-tribution of house mice in MFDs. Four low-income high-rise apartment buildings in three cities in New Jersey were selected for building-wide monitoring on tw...

Bed bugs (Cimex spp.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) are obligatory blood-sucking insects. Research on their behavioral response to host-derived olfactory cues will be helpful for designing more effective management tools. However, previous studies mainly focused on Cimex lectularius L., while the related studies on Cimex hemipterus (F.) have been rarely r...

Sticky traps are standard tools for monitoring German cockroaches (Blattella germanica L.); however, because they lack an attractant, their ability to catch cockroaches is by chance and largely dependent upon the location of placement and length of time they are left in place. Currently, highly effective and economical cockroach attractants are not...

As a species, the German cockroach is one of the most widespread indoor urban pests worldwide. While numerous products have been developed to control their spread, German cockroaches continue to contaminate food, transmit disease and cause significant, long-term economic expense to homes, restaurants, hospitals and more. Biology and Management of...

The house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, is a common pest in multi-family residential apartment buildings. This study was designed to gain insights into residents’ impressions of house mice, develop more effective house mouse detection methods, and evaluate the effectiveness of building-wide house mouse management programs. Two high-rise apartment...

Native to eastern Asia, the Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus (Shiraki) is recognized as one of the 100 worst invasive pests in the world, with established populations in Japan, Hawaii and the southeastern United States. Despite its importance, the native source(s) of C. formosanus introductions and their invasive pathway out of...

Common bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) are hematophagous pests present in urban environments across the globe. It is widely established that they have a strong host preference for humans. However, there are records of C. lectularius feeding upon a range of mammalian and avian hosts, including rodents, in the field. There is little information avail...

The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., resurged as an important urban pest in the last 20 yr. Yet, there are no commercial repellent products labeled for bed bugs available in the United States. We evaluated the repellency of two catnip oils from newly developed cultivars, CR3 and CR9, and compared each to 10 and 25% N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (...

From the 1960s to the 1980s, with the implementation of nationwide ‘Four-Pest Elimination’ campaigns (bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L. and Cimex hemipterus (F.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), were listed as one of the targeted pests), bed bug infestations were gradually eliminated in most provinces in China. However, during the last two decades, reports of...

Bed bug resistance to commonly used pesticide sprays has led to exploring new pesticides and other strategies for bed bug management. Non-chemical methods are effective in bed bug management; however, they do not provide residual protection. Compared to insecticide sprays, dust formulations are considered to provide longer residual control. We eval...

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. le...

Following the publication of our article [...]

Bed bug, Cimex lectularius (L.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), and German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (Blattodea: Ectobiidae), infestations are commonly found in low-income housing communities and result in negative health effects and economic burden. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been shown to be an effective approach for managing these pe...

Insecticide use in homes leads to human exposure to insecticide residues that persist in the environment. Integrated pest management (IPM) programs have been known to be more environmentally friendly for managing German cockroach (Blattella germanica L.) infestations, but their effect on indoor insecticide residue levels are not well understood. An...

Most field studies on Cimex lectularius are conducted in residential or hospitality industrial settings. Cimex lectularius infestations in office settings are reported, but are rarely studied. An office environment (~875 m2) consisting of 105 cubicles or pod-seating areas with persistent C. lectularius sightings over a 2-yr period was evaluated for...

The German cockroach Blattella germanica (L.) (Blattodea, Ectobiidae) is one of the most common indoor pests in multifamily housing communities. Our objectives were to investigate the spatial distribution patterns of German cockroach infestations in a multiunit dwelling before and after building-wide integrated pest management (IPM) implementation....

Background: The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius), a nocturnal blood-feeding ectoparasite, is considered an urban pest with public health importance in human environments. We aimed to determine the repellency effect of oregano essential oil, Origanum vulgare, against this pest under laboratory conditions. Methods: The essential oil was prepared f...

The German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), is a common pest found in apartment buildings. Prevalence of cockroach infestations is affected by both environmental conditions and building occupant behavior, but their relationships are not well studied. The objective of this study was to analyze the presence of German cockroaches in relation to en...

Hematophagous arthropods are capable of transmitting human and animal pathogens worldwide. Vector-borne diseases account for 17% of all infectious diseases resulting in 700,000 human deaths annually. Repellents are a primary tool for reducing the impact of biting arthropods on humans and animals. N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), the most effectiv...

Steam application is an effective and environmentally friendly method for controlling bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). While a few studies documented the bed bug control efficacy of steam treatment, the sublethal effect of steam treatment on bed bug behavior and female fecundity is unknown. In this study, we evaluated the effe...

Pest infestations in residential buildings are common, but community-wide pest survey data are lacking. Frequent insecticide applications for controlling indoor pests leave insecticide residues and pose potential health risks to residents. In this study, a community-wide pest survey was carried out in a housing complex consisting of 258 units in 40...

Hematophagous arthropods are capable of transmitting human and animal pathogens worldwide. Vector-borne diseases account for 17% of all infectious diseases resulting in 700,000 human deaths annually. Repellents are a primary tool for reducing the impact of biting arthropods on humans and animals. N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), the most effectiv...

Background: Infestations of the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., have become common in low-income communities in the United States over the last 15 years. We evaluated community-based integrated pest management (IPM) programs for reducing bed bug infestations. Two housing authorities (Bayonne and Hackensack) implemented bed bug IPM programs....

The common bed bug [Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)] and tropical bed bug [Cimex hemipterus F. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)] resurged in the United States and many other countries over the past decades. The need for safe and effective bed bug control products propelled the development of numerous 'green insecticides', mostly with essential oi...

BACKGROUND Bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., have become one of the most difficult urban pests to control. Steam treatment is reported to be an effective method to kill bed bugs and is considered to be an important component of bed bug integrated pest management (IPM). We evaluated and compared the efficacy of two affordable consumer‐grade commercial...

The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), is a blood-feeding ectoparasite which experienced world-wide resurgence during recent decades. The control of bed bugs is often challenging, due to their cryptic nature and resistance to commonly used insecticides. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the antiparasitic drug moxid...

We tested a threshold-based bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) management approach with the goal of achieving elimination with minimal or no insecticide application. Thirty-two bed bug infested apartments were identified. These apartments were divided into four treatment groups based on apartment size and initial bed bug count, obtained through a combin...

The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) is an obligate blood-sucking insect that has been resurging in many countries. Researching this pest’s behavior will help design more effective control methods. In this study, we evaluated the effect of feeding history and time elapsed from field collection on bed bug movement behavio...

Since the mid-1990s, many developed countries and regions experienced a resurgence of bed bugs. In this article, we reviewed the researches on bed bugs, including the resurgence causes, their biology and behavior, artificial rearing techniques, insecticide resistance, and monitoring and management techniques. We summarized the studies on the common...

Bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., are one of the most difficult urban pests to control. Pest management professionals rely heavily on insecticide sprays and dusts to control bed bugs. Dust formulations are considered to provide longer residual control than sprays. However, there are no scientific data available on the comparative efficacy of the comm...

We investigated male mate choice and mating competency in the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., using video tracking for 10 min per experiment. In the male mate choice experiment, when a male was placed with two females of different mating status, males preferred to initiate copulation with the virgin female more quickly than with the mated fem...

We examined bed bug prevalence in 2,372 low-income apartments within 43 buildings in four New Jersey cities using a combination of resident interviews, brief visual inspections, and monitoring with Climbup Insect Interceptors. Infestation rates ranged from 3.8 to 29.5% among the buildings, with an overall infestation rate of 12.3%. Within each apar...

We evaluated the residual efficacy of four liquid sprays and four ready-to-use aerosols that are commonly used in the U.S. against a field-collected bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., strain with moderate resistance level to pyrethroids. The four liquid sprays were: Tandem (0.1% thiamethoxam, 0.03% lambda-cyhalothrin), Temprid SC (0.05% imidacloprid, 0...

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of various interventions on low-level bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., populations in occupied apartments. The first experiment was conducted in occupied apartments under three intervention conditions: never treated (Group I), recently treated with no further treatment (Group II), and recently tr...

Insecticide sprays and dusts are used for controlling bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L. In natural environments, bed bugs have daily access to hosts after they are exposed to insecticides. The established laboratory insecticide bioassay protocols do not provide feeding after insecticide treatments, which can result in inflated mortality compared with...

Understanding movement and dispersal of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) under field conditions is important in the control of infestations and for managing the spread of bed bugs to new locations. We investigated bed bug movement within and between apartments using mark-release-recapture (m-r-r) technique combined with apartment-wide moni...

Multifamily housing facilities serving low-income populations have been at the forefront of bed bug outbreaks. Research conducted in the past 8 years has consistently proven that integrated pest management (IPM) is the best approach for successful suppression of bed bug infestations. Bed bug IPM in multifamily settings is especially dependent upon...

Effective bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) monitors have been actively sought in the past few years to help detect bed bugs and measure the effectiveness of treatments. Most of the available active monitors are either expensive or ineffective. We designed a simple and affordable active bed bug monitor that uses sugar-yeast fermentation and an experim...

Bed bugs (Cimex spp.) have undergone a global resurgence over the last 15–20 years. They readily bite humans, producing a range of cutaneous reactions. This article documents systemic reactions in two patients following repeated bites from the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius. Both patients had previously fed bed bugs on themselves without any ser...

The role of olfactory cues such as carbon dioxide, pheromones, and kairomones in bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. behavior has been demonstrated. However, the role of vision and mechanoreception in bed bug behavior is poorly understood. We investigated bed bug vision by determining their responses to different colors, vertical objects, and their abili...

Three insecticide mixtures that contain two classes of insecticides (pyrethroid and neonicotinoid) were recently developed to control bed bugs. We evaluated three integrated bed bug management strategies in apartments, each using the same non-chemical control methods and one of the three insecticide mixture products: Tandem (lambda-cyhalothrin + th...

Background Low income apartment communities in the U.S. are suffering from disproportionally high bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., infestations due to lack of effective monitoring and treatment. Studies examining the effectiveness of integrated pest management (IPM) for the control of bed bugs in affordable housing have been limited to small subsets...

Effective bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) monitors have been actively sought in the past few years to help detect bed bugs and measure the effectiveness of treatments. Most of the available active monitors are either expensive or ineffective. We designed a simple and affordable active bed bug monitor that uses sugar–yeast fermentation and an experim...

Effective bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) monitors have been actively sought in the past few years to help detect bed bugs and measure the effectiveness of treatments. Most of the available active monitors are either expensive or ineffective. We designed a simple and affordable active bed bug monitor that uses sugar–yeast fermentation and an experim...

Detection of low-level bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), infestations is essential for early intervention, conÞrming eradication of infestations, and reducing the spread of bed bugs. Despite the importance of detection, few effective tools and methods exist for detecting low numbers of bed bugs. Scent dogs were developed as a to...

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L. and Cimex hemipterus F.) are among the most difficult urban pests to manage. Many essential oil-based bed bug control products that are considered reduced risk to mammals compared to synthetic insect neurotoxins have become commercially available, but their effectiveness as a stand-alone control method is unknown. Thi...

The bed bug, ( Cimex lectularius L.), is a difficult pest to control. Prevalence of insecticide resistance among bed bug populations and concerns over human-insecticide exposure has stimulated the development of alternative bed bug control materials. Many essential oil-based pesticides and detergent insecticides targeting bed bugs have been develop...

The bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), has resurged recently as a domestic pest in North America with very limited options for decisive control. We report efficacy studies with sulfuryl fluoride (SF) toward use as a structural fumigant to control bed bugs. Laboratory studies were conducted in which eggs, adults, and nymphs from a...