Fumigation Activities of Methyl Benzoate and Its Derivatives Against the Common Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

Common bed bug Cimex lectularius (L.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) infestations are on the rise and due to the development of pesticide resistance they are becoming more difficult to control, affordably. We evaluated a naturally occurring compound methyl benzoate (MB) and related analogs, previously reported to have insecticidal activity on several agricultural pests, for its fumigant action on the common bed bug, C. lectularius L. A discriminating concentration was used to determine the effectiveness of MB, and several of its analogs as fumigants in a laboratory assay. It was found that MB provided >90% control of adult bed bugs in this laboratory fumigant assay. LC50 values were calculated for MB against both a pyrethroid-susceptible and a pyrethroid-resistant strain of common bed bugs. It was determined that both strains were susceptible in this laboratory assay. However, when MB was tested in a field-like assay and compared to a commercially available bed bug control product, it was found to be significantly less effective compared to the commercial product. Our study has found that while MB has the potential to be used as a bed bug control agent, refinements in the delivery system will be needed to increase efficacy under field-like conditions.