Evaluating insecticide susceptibility of bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) eggs during key embryonic stages

Eggs of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius (L.)) are by far the least studied bed bug life stage and the most difficult to kill.  Research suggests that bed bug eggs could be less susceptible to insecticide exposure if the embryo has not yet undergone the embryonic process of blastokinesis.  Because the young embryo is protected by additional membranes (the serosa and the amnion) as well as the chorion, younger eggs could withstand insecticide applications that might kill older embryos.  These early-stage eggs could then continue to develop, hatch and reinfest a home. For this study, bed bug eggs at key embryonic stages (pre-blastokinesis and post-blastokinesis) were treated with multiple insecticides with different formulations. To better understand the physiological development of this life stage, the respiratory rates of eggs from a susceptible and resistant strains of bed bugs were quantified using respirometry.