Secret Site Map
Saturday, May 18, 2013

Home News Bed bug War Continues; Scientists Study Bug Genome for Weaknesses

Bed bug War Continues; Scientists Study Bug Genome for Weaknesses

Bed bugs

Researchers complete first genetic study to identify pesticide-resistant genes in this bothersome pest.

| January 24, 2011

WOOSTER, OHIO – As the war on bed bugs wears on, scientists try to understand the invasive pests so they can kill the suckers.

Now, Ohio State University researchers have conducted the first genetic study to identify pesticide-resistant genes the bugs carry. It may lead to new ways of controlling the bugs in the future.

“Right now, these studies are still preliminary and only scratching the surface of the bedbug genome,” said Omprakash Mittapalli, Ph.D., assistant professor of entomology at Ohio Agricultural and Development Center and corresponding author of the study. “But bedbugs could be a lot more complicated than previously thought.”

To read the entire ABC News story, click here.

Top news

Rutgers Releases Bed Bug Videos

Rutgers University, in cooperation with the U.S. EPA and the Northeastern IPM Center, has enhanced its bed bug resources page with new videos.

East Coast Braces for Cicada Invasion

Billions of the 17-year-cicadas are due to come out over the next few weeks, across a swath of the East Coast ranging from North Carolina to Connecticut, NBC News reports.

Update: Slayer Guitarist Died of Cirrhosis

The band issued a statement noting that Hanneman, 49, died from alcohol-related cirrhosis. Originally, the band had posted that Hanneman’s passing was due to liver failure brought on by necrotizing fasciitis, a disease Hanneman believed he contracted from a spider bite.

NCPMA Releases Bed Bug Booklet

The North Carolina Pest Management Association released a booklet designed to educate North Carolinians about preventing the spread of bed bugs.

ServiceMaster Reports First Quarter Financials

The parent company of Terminix reported operating revenue of $608 million, a decline of 7.1 percent compared to the same period in 2012.