Inbreeding helps bedbug populations spread quickly.
Incest is best – or is at least very acceptable – for bedbugs looking to colonize new areas, according to new research from NC State entomologists Coby Schal, Ed Vargo and Warren Booth.
The research, presented today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene annual meeting in Philadelphia and currently undergoing peer review, shows that bedbugs from apartment buildings were more than just kissing cousins. Individual apartments and indeed entire buildings contained closely related bedbugs; this lack of genetic diversity suggests that infestations start from just one or two introductions of the insect.
“Inbreeding gives bed bugs an advantage in being able to colonize,” Schal said. “A single female that has been mated is able to colonize and start a new infestation. Her progeny and brothers and sisters can then mate with each other, exponentially expanding the population. With many organisms, extensive inbreeding would cause serious mutations that would eventually bring about an end to the population.”
The NC State researchers found the same types of inbreeding in more than 20 separate infestations studied from Maine to Florida – in individual infestations inbreeding seemed to be a powerful influence on population gains.
However, when comparing bedbugs from New Jersey with bedbugs from Florida, populations along the East Coast showed high genetic diversity, suggesting that the bedbugs are coming from many different places – nationally and internationally. When humans travel, they unwittingly pick up bedbug “hitchhikers” and carry them to new places; research suggests travel and changing residences are some of the main drivers behind new bedbug infestations.
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A significant number of the samples of “bed bugs” that I receive for identification from pest control operators are in fact bat and swallow bugs. Do you see this also? There are suggestions from other people that there may be introgression between the various related species of Cimex. Is there any evidence for this genetically?
I am also working on a swallow bug project with researchers at the University of Tulsa. We have not received any samples from pest controllers collected as bed bugs that were in fact swallow or bat bugs. We had one instance of tropical bed bugs, however not from mainland U.S.
Swallow bugs belong in a different genus and are not capable of introgression. Studies have shown that tropical bed bugs and common bed bugs can interbreed, however the resulting offspring are sterile and the cross may be uni-directional.
If you received more bat and swallow bugs, I would appreciate those samples if you could send them to me.
Warren
My husband brought home some unwelcome pest from a business trip last week. Bedbugs have got me buggin out. These disgusting creatures are ruining our lives. Our exterminator came out and sprayed and it seems like they are getting better. Any suggestions would be appreciated.