Bed bugs are problem 1D?

From the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), an action plan for 2009-2013, National Program 104 – Veterinary, Medical, and Urban Entomology  (2009-2013) (PDF):

Problem Statement 1D: Bed bugs have become much more abundant in the United States during the last five years, presenting the need for better surveillance and control technology.

Research Needs:
Research in two areas of IPM, surveillance and control, is needed to address to key challenges to bed bug control.

Anticipated Products
Surveillance

• Develop highly sensitive traps and devices for detection.

Control

• Assess the extent of insecticide resistance in the United States.
• Develop new products to prevent movement of bed bugs between locations.
• Explore the practical application of bacterial toxins.

Potential Benefits
Key tools will be provided to reverse the current outbreak of bed bugs in the United States, as measured by sale of products and pest control operator visits.

Problem 1D Resources

The following locations have research projects addressing the problem statement identified under Problem 1D:

• Imported Fire Ant and Household Insect Research Unit, Center for Medical Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, FL
• Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, Beltsville, MD
• Arthropod Borne Animal Diseases Research Laboratory, Laramie, WY

Well then!

Three USDA research centers working on bed bugs is pretty cool; I didn’t realize we had any.  But the reference to bacterial toxins…  wolbachia or something else?  Won’t that take forever?

These pages may be of related interest:

1. Bite sensitivity, ciao Johnson, post-feeding behavior, signals and more: ESA meeting abstracts
2. kdr pyrethroid resistance widespread in U.S. bed bug populations
3. New study of bed bug bites suggests most people do react
4. ESA 2010: bed bugs and politics? But wait, Lou, Metarhizium anisopliae, dispersal…
5. Use the Force