Repellent effect of two anthranilates against the tropical bed bug Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) demonstrated in laboratory assays

• Published in: Pest management science Vol. 80; no. 3; pp. 988 - 995
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jingsheng, Xia, Yanwei, Liang, Jiayong, Wang, Changlu, Qiu, Hualong, He, Yurong, Ma, Tao, Wang, Lei, Wang, Desen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.03.2024; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Ablation; Animals; Antennae; Bedbugs; Blood; Blood sucking; Carbon dioxide; Carbon Dioxide - pharmacology; Cimex hemipterus; Cimex lectularius; Cimicidae; Food additives; Hemiptera; Humans; Insect bites; Insect Repellents - pharmacology; Insects; mental health; Mouthparts; ortho-Aminobenzoates - pharmacology; Perception; perception mechanism; pest management; Rabbits; Repellency; repellent; repellent effect; Repellents; perception mechanism; repellent effect; Cimex hemipterus; repellent
• ISSN: 1526-498X; 1526-4998; 1526-4998
• DOI: 10.1002/ps.7829

BACKGROUND The bites and blood sucking of bed bugs (Cimex spp.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) pose a serious threat to human physical and mental health. Application of an effective repellent can prevent or reduce bed bug bites. Previous studies on repellent screening mainly focused on Cimex lectularius L. In this study, we investigated the repellent effect of two safe food additives, ethyl anthranilate (EA) and butyl anthranilate (BA), against Cimex hemipterus (F.), and also explored the role of antennae and mouthparts on C. hemipterus perception of repellents. RESULTS Both EA and BA had a strong repellent effect against tropical bed bugs and their repellency was similar or lower than that of N,N‐diethyl‐3‐methyl benzoyl amide, depending on whether or not a CO2 source was present. EA had higher repellency than BA and exhibited repellency to C. hemipterus for 3 days when a CO2 source was present. C. hemipterus avoided resting on 20% EA‐ and BA‐treated harborages. Applying 20% EA and BA on rabbit skin significantly reduced the blood intake of C. hemipterus within 2 h. C. hemipterus could perceive EA and BA after their antennae or mouthparts or both antennae and mouthparts were removed. CONCLUSION Both EA and BA had strong repellency against C. hemipterus, with EA being more repellent. Ablation of antennae and mouthparts did not affect the perception of EA and BA by C. hemipterus. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. We investigated the repellent effect of two safe food additives, ethyl anthranilate (EA) and butyl anthranilate (BA), against Cimex hemipterus (F.). Both EA and BA had a strong repellent effect against C. hemipterus.