The History of Bed Bug Management -- With Lessons from the Past

For a limited time, "The History of Bed Bug Management -- With Lessons from the Past" by Dr. Michael F. Potter, University of Kentucky, will be available to the public for free at http://entsoc.org/history-bed-bug-management.

The article, which appears in the Spring 2011 edition of American Entomologist, provides a historical review of the impacts of bed bugs and their management.

"Bed bugs have been biting us since the beginning of recorded time," Potter writes. "Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of 21st century bed bugs is that we are in uncharted territory ... The foundation of bed bug management still consists of hard work, public education, and constant vigilance to prevent or detect infestations in the early stages."

In the article, Dr. Potter explains that throughout history mankind has suffered from bed bug bites. It was only during the second half of the 20th century that humanity received a reprieve from the sleep-depriving parasites, thanks mostly to the availability of potent residual pesticides.

Some interesting bed bug facts that appear in the article are:

- Experts believe the bugs initially fed on bats and then began feeding on humans. Bed bugs have been around since the caveman days.

- Bed bugs were first reported in England in 1583, and they hitchhiked their way to the Americas aboard ships.

- Exterminators were battling bed bugs at least as far back as 1690.

- Bed bugs received a big reproductive boost in the early 1900s, when central heating of buildings became common. Bed bug populations had previously followed a more seasonal trend, but heated buildings allowed them to thrive year-round.

- In Europe in the 1930s and ‘40s, an estimated one-third of dwellings in major cities had bed bugs.

- In the 1930s, a survey of 3,000 moving vans in Stockholm, Sweden found bed bugs on 47% of the vans inspected, foretelling big concerns for moving and storage companies today.

- In 1895, a Chicago jury ruled that “no man shall be required to pay rent for a house infested with bedbugs.” Editorializing on the verdict, the news media noted that if the ruling held, “the great majority of Chicagoans would be relieved of their rent bills.”

To download a free copy of "The History of Bed Bug Management -- With Lessons from the Past," please visit http://entsoc.org/history-bed-bug-management.

Dr. Michael F. Potter is an extension professor and urban entomologist at the University of Kentucky. In recent years, he and his research colleagues at UK have spent much of their time working on the front lines of the global bed bug pandemic.

American Entomologist, a quarterly magazine published by the Entomological Society of America (http://www.entsoc.org), contains articles and information of general entomological interest.

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are researchers, teachers,extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives,research technicians, consultants, students, and hobbyists.

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CSI y los insectos exóticos en Puerto Rico

"CSI Puerto Rico: Aventuras en Entomología Forense" y "Especies exóticas invasoras en la cuenca del Caribe: Preocupación para los Estados Unidos" son sólo dos de los simposios que se presentarán la semana entrante en la Isla durante una reunión conjunta que celebrarán las Sociedades Americanas de Entomología y Fitopatología.

La reunión tendrá lugar en el Hotel Caribe Hilton, en San Juan, del 19 al 22 de marzo, a donde llegarán cientos de entomólogos y fitopatólogos para discutir los problemas agrícolas y ambientales causados por insectos y enfermedades de plantas.

Según informó la Sociedad Americana de Entomología en un comunicado de prensa, el aumento en los viajes internacionales y el comercio han permitido a los insectos exóticos de diferentes partes del mundo establecerse en lugares donde no existían previamente. Esta situación, agregó la organización, cada año le cuesta millones de dólares a los agricultores, pues lo insectos destruyen sus cultivos y propagan enfermedades.

Las Sociedades Americanas de Entomología y Fitopatología le harán frente a estos y otros asuntos durante la reunión, cuyo lema este año es "Especies exóticas: Una experiencia compartida".

Otras presentaciones durante la reunión de cuatro días abordarán temas como la resistencia a insecticidas, hormigas, termitas, chinches, moscas, abejas, garrapatas, ácaros, cultivos resistentes a las plagas, uso de insectos para controlar malezas (control biológico) y enfermedades que afectan los plátanos y cítricos.

Si desea ver el itinerario completo, acceda a http://tinyurl.com/4lad3v2.

CSI and Alien Invaders in Puerto Rico

Lanham, MD; March 9, 2011—"CSI Puerto Rico: Adventures in Forensic Entomology" and "Invasive Alien Species in the Caribbean Basin of Concern to the USA" are just two of the symposia that will be presented at a joint meeting between the Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and the Caribbean Division of the American Phytopathological Society (APS).

The meeting will take place at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, March 19-22, 2011, as hundreds of entomologists and plant pathologists get together to discuss agricultural and environmental problems caused by insects and plant diseases (more information at http://entsoc.org/Southeastern).

The increase of international travel and trade has allowed alien insects from different parts of the world to emerge in places they didn’t previously exist, and each year they cost farmers millions of dollars as they destroy crops and spread diseases. ESA and APS will address these problems during the meeting, whose theme this year is "Exotic Species: A Shared Experience."

Some of the presentations dealing with these issues include:

- Invasive Pests and Diseases of Palm

- Bugs Without Borders: Unintended spread of Intentionally Introduced Herbivores

- Networking as a Successful Invasive Species Detection Tool

- Exotic Pests and the Movement of Plant Material

- Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), an Invasive Pest that Threatens the U.S. Nursery and Palm Industry

- Environmental factors influencing potential distribution of the Formosan subterranean termite

And on Tuesday, March 22, a symposium entitled "CSI Puerto Rico: Adventures in Forensic Entomology" will feature the following presentations:

- Insects: Helping Solve Crimes Since 1325

- The “Dirt” on Forensic Entomology

- Discovery and Recovery: How One Thing Leads to Another

- Forensic Entomology: The Insects in the Crime Scene

- The Great Maggot Escape: The Trials and Tribulations of Rearing Black Soldier Flies

- How Important is Resource and Community Composition? The Physiological Effects that Mediate Competitive Interactions

- Blow Flies and Parenting: How Adult Decisions Maximize Offspring Potential

- Integrating Ecology and Insect Evidence: The Paradigm Shift in Forensic Science

Other presentations during the four-day meeting will address issues such as insecticide resistance, fire ants, termites, stink bugs, fruit flies, bees, ticks, mites, pheromones, pest-resistant crops, the use of insects to control weeds (biocontrol), and diseases that affect banana and citrus fruits. The entire program is available at http://tinyurl.com/4lad3v2. Members of the media can obtain press passes by contacting Richard Levine at rlevine@entsoc.org.

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is the largest organization in the world dedicated to the science, magic, and mystery of the world’s most abundant life form -- insects. With more than 6,000 active members, the ESA helps to promote understanding of insects and solve world problems associated with them, including world hunger, disease prevention, and urban pest control. ESA is a 501c(3) not-for-profit membership society headquartered in Lanham, MD.

The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is a nonprofit, professional scientific organization. The research of the organization’s 5,000 worldwide members advances the understanding of the science of plant pathology and its application to plant health.

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Bt Corn Symposia at Minneapolis Entomology Meeting

The following eight symposia on Bt maize will be presented at the 66th Meeting of the Entomological Society of America's North Central Branch at the Radisson University Hotel, in Minneapolis on March 13-16, 2011:

1) Bt Adoption by Illinois Producers and Refuge Management: Cause for Concern?
Time: 8:55 am Wed  Location: University Ballroom B
Michael E. Gray, University of Illinois

This presentation will focus on survey data collected from Illinois producers regarding their use of Bt hybrids to achieve insect protection. Data have been collected for several years at the University of Illinois Extension sponsored Corn and Soybean Classics. Responses from producers to a variety of questions were obtained using hand-held clickers in which anonymous feedback could be collected. Because of the escalating use of Bt hybrids, concern is increasing regarding the potential for resistance development. The results to a number of questions will be discussed such as the level of refuge compliance, refuge type preference, and likelihood of soil insecticide use with Bt. The use of seed blends (refuge-in-a-bag) as a refuge strategy is likely to become the foundation of resistance management programs in the future. Producer perspectives concerning seed blends, based upon survey responses, also will be discussed.

2) Why Use Corn Rootworm Insecticides Over a Corn Rootworm Traited Corn?
Time: 9:55 am Wed  Location: University Ballroom B
Caydee Savinelli and Craig Abell, Syngenta Crop Protection; and Patti L. Prasifka, Dow AgroSciences

Corn rootworm is sometimes known as the “Billion Dollar Insect Pest” and corn growers have used many tactics over the years to control this pest. The introduction of corn rootworm traited corn has been a step change in the control of corn rootworm. However, as with any insect control measure, the level of control may depend on the population dynamics of the target pest as well as secondary pests. This talk will address why and when it makes sense to use soil insecticides over corn rootworm traited corn.

3) Corn Rootworm Adult Emergence Patterns as Affected by Bt-RW Corn and Crop Rotation
Time: 1:50 pm Tue  Location: Nolte
Bruce D. Potter, University of Minnesota; Kenneth R. Ostlie and Jared M. Goos, University of Minnesota

During the 2008-2010 growing seasons, effects of Bt-RW hybrids and their isolines on quantitative and temporal aspects of corn rootworm beetle emergence were monitored in continuous corn and corn rotated with soybean in Dakota and Redwood County, MN. We found evidence that the Bt-RW trait delayed emergence for both corn rootworm species and both corn rotations. The implications of these emergence delays in terms of rootworm survival on transgenic corn, rootworm behavior, and monitoring of Bt-RW performance will be discussed.

4) Evaluating Response of Northern and Western Corn Rootworm to Transgenic Bt Corn
Time: 10:11 am Mon  Location: University Ballroom B
Ryan S. Keweshan and Aaron J. Gassmann, Iowa State University; Graham P. Head, Monsanto Company

The northern corn rootworm Diabrotica barberi and the western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera are major pests of corn in the United States. Bt corn that targets corn rootworm has been adopted rapidly by growers, and this places selective pressure on corn rootworm to evolve resistance. The pattern of adult emergence from Bt and refuge plants is an important factor affecting the development of resistance. The goal of our research was to measure patterns of adult emergence from Bt and non-Bt corn, and to assess fitness of adults surviving as larvae on Bt corn in the field. A total of four treatments were evaluated: 1) a single-trait event with Cry3Bb1 (YieldGard VT Triple), 2) a stacked event with Cry3Bb1 and Cry34Ab1/35Ab1 (SmartStax), 3) a near isogenic hybrid that did not contain rootworm active Bt and 4) a stacked event with a blended non-Bt refuge. For each of these treatments, we collected data on the abundance of adult male and female northern and western corn rootworm emerging over the course of the summer, and the fitness of these individuals, as indexed by width of their head capsule.

5) Gene Expression Profiles of Bt-resistant and Susceptible European Corn Borer Larvae (Ostrinia nubilalis) After Ingestion of Transgenic Cry1Ab Corn Leaves
Time: 9:35 am Mon  Location: Nolte
Jianxiu Yao, Lawrent L. Buschman, and Kun Yan Zhu, Kansas State University

Transgenic corn expressing insecticidal Cry1Ab from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is very effective in controlling European corn borer (ECB), Ostrinia nubilalis. However, it is necessary to understand how ECB gut genes respond to transgenic corn because there is a threat ECB could develop resistance to Cry toxins. In this study, we developed a cDNA microarray built upon the ECB gut-specific EST database. The cDNA microarray contains 15,000 cDNA elements representing 2,755 different genes. We used this microarray to construct the gene expression profiles for early fourth-instar ECB larvae of the lab-selected resistant (R) strain and the susceptible (S) strain. Both strains were exposed to transgenic Cry1Ab corn (MON810-event) for 6-hrs. We identified 398 genes from the S strain and 264 genes from the R strain with a significantly increased or decreased expression (≥2.0 fold; p-value≤0.05) in comparing with unexposed larvae. Among those genes, 154 in the S strain and 88 in the R strain had putative molecular functions based on gene ontology analysis. 48 differentially expressed genes were common between the R and S strains. Interestingly, two aminopeptidase genes were up-regulated in the R strain, and down-regulated in the S strain. The rest of the genes had similar regulation in both strains. Especially, 17 genes in the S strain and 9 genes in the R strain had differential expression, which are potentially involved in Bt toxicity or/and Bt resistance. This study is the first large-scale monitoring of ECB larvae gut transcripts under exposed or unexposed to transgenic corn expressed Cry toxins

6) Incidence of Mycotoxins in Bt and Conventional Corn Hybrids in Relation to Insect Pest Abundance
Time: 9:59 am Mon  Location: Nolte
Rosemary Gutierrez, Billy W. Fuller, and Bradley L. McManus, South Dakota State University

Mycotoxins are fungal metabolites that can contaminate foods and feeds causing toxic effects in higher organisms that consume these products. The more common mycotoxins in corn are fumonisin, aflatoxin and deoxynivalenol (DON), and they are known to cause health issues in humans and animals (Hussein, 2001). Dry weather early in the season followed by wet weather during silking stage combined with insect damage on corn ears may increase the amount of fungal infection (Munkvold, 1999). Conventional and Bt corn plots were located in Aurora, South Dakota during 2009 year. Carbaryl was applied at 1.12 Kg[AI]/ha in half the plots to eliminate beneficial arthropods and thus trigger later-season pest resurgence contaminants. Sap beetles in the sprayed Bt plots were 50-fold greater in numbers than that observed in untreated-Bt plots. Corn rootworms were over 3-fold greater in conventional corn plots compared to that found in Bt treatments. Corn leaf aphid numbers were highest in sprayed-Bt plots compared to all treatments. Mycotoxins levels showed no significant differences between hybrids and insecticide treatments. Zearalenone was the only mycotoxin that showed significant differences comparing with fumonisin, aflotoxin anddeoxynivalenol (DON) in both hybrids. Zearalenone, aflotoxin, fumonisin nor DON levels were not significantly correlated with the percent of ears with visibly moldy insect-damaged kernels. Based on the levels of mycotoxins results conventional and Bt corn hybrids did not exceed the tolerated mycotoxin levels of human and animal consumption.

7) Interactions Among an Entomopathogenic Fungus, an Insect Predator, Mallada signatus (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), and the Host, Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on Bt Cotton
Time: 10:11 am Mon  Location: Nolte
Md. H. Bahar, Alice Del Socorro, John N. Stanley, Peter C. Gregg, and David Backhouse, University of New England (Australia); Robert Mensah, Australian Cotton Research Institute

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to examine the interactions among Helicoverpa armigera, two of its natural enemies (green lacewing, Mallada signatus & an entomopathogenic fungus*) and transgenic Bt cotton. Fifty H. armigera neonates were placed on different locations of each whole potted cotton plant in a greenhouse. Two green lacewings were released and/or 50 ml fungal spore suspension was sprayed on each plant. After 96 hours both Bt cotton plant and green lacewing significantly reduced the survival of H. armigera larvae. The combined effect of green lacewing and Bt toxin on reducing H. armigera larvae was synergistic. The fungus did not affect the activities of either green lacewing or Bt cotton. In can be concluded that the predatory insect green lacewing and the entomopathogenic fungus are compatible with transgenic Bt cotton. * Due to commercial-in-confidence reasons, the name of the fungus can not be revealed.

8) Potential for Diabrotica Population Suppression with Area-Wide Adoption of Bt Corn
Time: 10:50 am Wed  Location: University Ballroom B
Nicholas P. Storer and Kevin L. Steffey, Dow AgroSciences; William D. Hutchison, University of Minnesota

Area-wide adoption of insect protected Bt corn and Bt cotton crops has led to significant reductions in certain target pest populations. Here we examine the potential for pyramided corn rootworm-active Bt traits to suppress populations of western corn rootworm in North America and Europe.

In addition, the meeting will feature an Insect Photo Salon, a hands-on photography workshop for entomologists, and symposia on bed bugs, biocontrol of invasive species, potato entomology, trends in corn IPM/IRM research, Diabrotica populations and control tactics, soybean aphid management, and insect biodiversity in urban environments.

For more information, including the full program schedule and instructions on how to register, please visit: http://www.ncb2011.umn.edu/index.htm. Contact information can be found at http://www.ncb2011.umn.edu/contact.html.

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is the largest organization in the world dedicated to the science, magic, and mystery of the world’s most abundant life form -- insects. With more than 6,000 active members, the ESA helps to promote understanding of insects and solve world problems associated with them, including world hunger, disease prevention, and urban pest control. ESA is a 501c(3) not-for-profit membership society headquartered in Lanham, MD.

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Stink Bug Experts Gather in Pennsylvania to Address Growing Problem

The Eastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) will meet in Harrisburg, PA to discuss the brown marmorated stink bug and other emerging insect pests

Suddenly they are everywhere. These foul-smelling bugs, originally from Asia, were first detected in Pennsylvania in the late 1990’s. Now they are damaging fruits and vegetables and invading homes in many parts of the United States.

State, Federal, University, and industry entomologists from the eastern U.S. and Canada will converge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, March 18-21, 2011, to discuss the brown marmorated stink bug plague during the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America's Eastern Branch during a symposium called “The Plague of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.”

Dr. Tracy Leskey, symposium co-organizer and research entomologist at the USDA Appalachian Fruit Station, notes that this invasive stink bug is very unique because it has become a serious year-round pest. Throughout the growing season, it attacks a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. In the fall and winter, homeowners and businesses are invaded as the bugs seek shelter from the cold. Currently, the brown marmorated stink bug has been officially detected in 33 states and the District of Columbia. During the symposium, researchers and industry professionals will discuss the stink bug’s detection and spread in the U.S., its damage to orchards, wine grapes, vegetables and other crops, as well as strategies being developed to control it, including the use of parasitic wasps.

Stink bugs are just the beginning of the emerging pest problems that will be discussed at this meeting. Other destructive insect menaces looming on the horizon are Asian and lesser cedar longhorned beetles, the emerald ash borer, and the Japanese maple scale. Other meeting symposia include:

- "IDEP: New Pests and New Information on Possible Foes"
- "Teaching Entomology at Various Educational Levels: Perspectives, Techniques, and Challenges"
- "Pesticides and Pollinators"
- "Insects on Woody Plants"
- "Student Symposium: Tools of the Trade"

The 82nd Annual Meeting’s theme is “Survival of the Fittest, Insuring the Future of Entomology.” As the future of entomology belongs to students, graduate and undergraduate student research reports are a focal point of the meeting. University students throughout the east and Canada compete in Poster and Oral Competitions, judged by a panel of Society members. Student research covers a wide range of current topics, from pollination and mosquito control to the effect of deer and birds on insect populations. Eastern Branch President and Cornell Entomology Professor, Harvey Reissig, notes that there are a number of exciting symposia on the schedule, including “Pesticides and Pollinators” and a student-sponsored technology symposium which covers Synchrotron X-ray imaging, genomic analysis, harmonic radar, and biomechanics.

The three-day meeting will draw entomologists from northeastern and mid-Atlantic states and several Canadian provinces. The meeting will conclude on Sunday evening with a banquet and awards ceremony. The banquet speaker will be Judson Reid, Cornell University Extension Associate who will discuss, “The Old Order Amish Society in Pennsylvania.”

For more information about the meeting in Harrisburg, please visit http://entsoc.org/2011-esa-eastern-branch-annual-meeting.

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is the largest organization in the world dedicated to the science, magic, and mystery of the world’s most abundant life form -- insects. With more than 6,000 active members, the ESA helps to promote understanding of insects and solve world problems associated with them, including world hunger, disease prevention, and urban pest control. ESA is a 501c(3) not-for-profit membership society headquartered in Lanham, MD. For more information, visit http://www.entsoc.org.

Members of the media can request a press pass by contacting Faith Kuehn, Delaware Department of Agriculture at (302) 698-4587 or Faith.Kuehn@state.de.us.

Coffee Berry Borer in Hawaii and Prospects for Control

The Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) invites coffee growers, researchers, and regulators to attend a symposium in Waikoloa, Hawaii on the coffee berry borer, the most important insect pest on coffee worldwide which was recently discovered in the Kona District of Hawaii.

Industry leaders have been scrambling since September, 2010 to find ways of controlling this pest and preventing its spread. Keynote speakers at this symposium will include Dr. Fernando Vega, a USDA-ARS scientist from Beltsville, MD who specializes in the biological control of coffee berry borer, and Dr. Stefan Jaronski, a USDA-ARS entomologist based in Sydney, Montana who is an expert on the field use of entomopathogenic fungi.

The four-hour symposium, entitled “Invaded! Implications of coffee berry borer in Hawaii and prospects for control,” will be held Tuesday, March 29, 2011 from 1:40-5:40 PM.

Online registration is now open at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=204974. The cost is $50.00 per person for online registration using a credit card, or by cash or check on-site.online or on-site.

The symposium will be held in conjunction with the 95th Annual Meeting of ESA's Pacific Branch. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Invasive Species of the Pacific Region,” and it will take place at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, 69-425 Waikoloa Beach Dr., Waikoloa, HI 96738, March 27-30, 2011. Thirteen symposia are featured at the meeting, including:

• Hawaiian Insect Diversity: Evolutionary Biology Meets Conservation Management
• Prevention, Containment and Management of Invasive Ornamental Pests
• Major Pests in Minor Crops: Challenges and Strategies in Specialty Crops
• Population Perspectives in Insect Ecology: Models & Data
• What's New in Industry
• Monitoring and Management of the Spotted Wing Drosophila in Cherries and Berries
• Urban Pest Management: Foundations and Frontiers
• Our Contributions: How Graduate Student Research Is Improving Integrated Pest Management
• The Increasing Frequency of Tephritid Outbreaks in California: What Is Going on?
• Integrated Management Strategies for Alien Predators in Conservation Lands of the Pacific
• Lessons Learned with New Teaching and Research Experiences for Undergrads: What Worked and What Didn't
• New approaches assessing biological weed control agents pre- and post-release to meet changing regulatory requirements
• Invasive Species in the International Arena

For more information, contact Robert Hollingsworth at Robert.Hollingsworth@ARS.USDA.GOV or (808) 959-4349.

For more information about the ESA Pacific Branch meeting, visit http://entsoc.org/Pacific/meetings/archives/2011.

Founded in 1889, ESA is a non-profit organization committed to serving the scientific and professional needs of more than 6,000 entomologists and individuals in related disciplines. For more information visit http://www.entsoc.org.

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ESA members take part in National Bed Bug Summit

15 members of the Entomological Society of America gave presentations at the Second Annual National Bed Bug Summit: Advancing Towards Solutions to the Bed Bug Problem

Fifteen members of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) gave presentations at the "Second Annual National Bed Bug Summit: Advancing Towards Solutions to the Bed Bug Problem," held by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC, February 2, 2011.

The meeting focused on what is being done to combat bed bugs, the importance of educating consumers, improvements in prevention and control techniques, controlling bed bugs in schools and public housing, and on the state of bed bug knowledge and futue research needs.

"Many health departments are overwhelmed by bed bug complaints," said Susan Jennings (EPA). "Training is greatly needed to educate people about this pest."

Dr. Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann (Cornell University) stressed the importance of having bilingual team members on bed bug task forces in urban areas.

"We're seeing more reservoirs of bedbugs appearing more often and intensely in poor communities, where people do not have resources to care for themselves," she said. "The key to bed bug control is the involvement and awareness of members of the community."

Dr. Dini Miller (Virginia Tech University) spoke about some methods of bed bug control using integrated pest management (IPM), such as using dessicant dust, mattress encasements, removing clutter, using a vacuum cleaner, chemical treatments when applied correctly, and heat.

"The clothes dryer is the number-one line of defense. Clutter removal also helps by revoving bed bug hiding places," she said, noting however that some of these methods can be expenisve. "IPM using prevention and non-chemical methods take time, as do heat treatments, and time is money, especially when repeated treatments are necessary," she said.

Dr. Harold Harlan (Armed Forces Pest Management Board), who has maintained a bed bug colony for nearly four decades, gave some reasons whey bed bug control is so difficult.

"Control efforts most often fail because it is nearly impossible to find every bed bug in a room, insects are often identified as bed bugs incorrectly, treatments are often ineffective because the bugs are inaccessible, and bed bugs have developed resistance to certain insecticides," he said.

Dr. Coby Schal (North Carolina State University) spoke about the need for more bed bug research. To illustrate, he noted that "although bed bug research has been increasing, we have about 50 times as much research on mosquitoes than on bed bugs."

Suggestions were also made to launch a new website such as bedbug.gov, to create an online clearinghouse for educational materials, to explore the use of new media, and to find new ways to reach out to multicultural communities.

The ESA entomologists, representing universities, state and federal agencies, and private pest-control companies, gave the following presentations:

•"Federal Agencies: Areas of Focus and Activities," by Susan Jennings, Public Health Coordinator, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs

•"Getting the public to listen to your message: Lessons learned from a mosquito education program," by Kristen Bartlett-Healy, Post-Doctoral Associate Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University

•"Reaching Key Populations in Bed Bug Control," by Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, IPM Specialist/Urban Entomologist, New York State IPM Program, Cornell University

•"Bed Bug Control: Maximizing the Advantages of Your Treatment Strategies," by Dini Miller, Associate Professor/Urban Pest Management Specialist, Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

•"IPM and Prevention in Bed Bug Control," Allison Taisey, Program Coordinator, Northeastern IPM Center, Cornell University

•"Using Temperature Extremes for Best Effect," Stephen Kells, Assistant Professor and Extension Entomologist, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota

•"Coordinating and Collaborating on Research," Stephen Kells, Assistant Professor and Extension Entomologist, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota

•"Non-Chemical Interventions and Do-it-yourself Approaches," Changlu Wang, Assistant Extension Specialist, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University

•"Educating to Reduce Failures in Bed Bug Control," by Harold Harlan, Information Services Division, Armed Forces Pest Management Board

•"Bed Bugs: IPM in Schools," by Thomas Green, Board President, IPM Institute of North America

•"Educating to Increase Successes in Bed Bug Control," by Richard Cooper, Vice President, Bed Bug Central

•"Bed Bug Research: A Variety of Approaches," by Coby Schal, Blanton J. Whitmire Distinguished Professor, Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University

•"Researching Bed Bugs: What's Known and What's Next," by Mark Feldlaufer, Research Entomologist, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

In addition, Daniel A. Strickman, a National Program Leader at USDA-ARS, and Adriana Costero, a Program Officer at the National Institutes of Health, moderated two sessions.

Anyone who would like to submit further information or comments related to any of the topics discussed at the summit are invited to visit www.regulations.gov and enter docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0190.

Shortly after the close of the summit, EPA will update the docket with presentation materials from the first day's plenary session and the outcomes from the breakout groups. The docket will be open for public comment until February 25, 2011.

Founded in 1889, ESA is a non-profit organization committed to serving the scientific and professional needs of more than 6,000 entomologists and individuals in related disciplines. For more information visit http://www.entsoc.org.