Population Growth Potential of the Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius L.: A Life Table Analysis

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Date
2011-04-29
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Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract

Experimental life tables were constructed and analyzed for three strains of the common bed bug: a pyrethroid-susceptible laboratory strain (HS), a highly resistant field strain (RR), and a field strain with a declining level of resistance (KR). Egg to adult survival in the RR strain was 94% compared with 79% and 69% in the HS and KR strains, respectively. The RR strain also developed significantly faster from egg to adult (~35 days) than the other two strains (~40 days). Analysis of a survivorship and fecundity life table for the RR strain produced the following results. The average life expectancy for a newly laid egg was ~143 days, and that of a newly molted adult was ~127 days. Females produced an average of 0.64 daughter eggs/day with the highest weekly production during the fifth week of adult life. Analysis of daily reproductive parity showed that females produced 1-3 and 4-6 eggs on 79 and 21% of the days, respectively, when egg laying occurred. The net reproductive rate (R0) of the RR strain was ~35, which represents a 35-fold increase in the population per generation (~92 days). The intrinsic rate of increase, r, was 0.054 indicating that the population multiplies 1.1 times/female/day (_) and doubles in size every 13 days. The stable age distribution (cx) was dominated by nymphs (54%), followed by eggs (34%) and adults (12%). Reproductive values (vx) for the strain increased from egg to the adult stage.

Description
Keywords
Cimex lectularius, bed bug, life table, life history, resistance, survivorship, development, pyrethroids
Citation
Polanco, Andrea M.; Brewster, Carlyle C.; Miller, Dini M. 2011. "Population Growth Potential of the Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius L.: A Life Table Analysis." Insects 2011, 2(2), 173-185; doi:10.3390/insects2020173.