Abstract
Extracts of the exuviae (cast skins) of nymphal bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) were analyzed for volatile compounds that might contribute to arrestment of adult bed bugs. Four volatile aldehydes, (E)-2-hexenal, 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octenal, and 4-oxo-(E)-2-octenal were consistently detected in the headspace of freshly shed exuviae regardless of the developmental stages from which the exuviae were obtained. Quantification of the aldehydes in the solvent extracts of homogenized fresh, 45- or 99-d aged 5th instar exuviae indicated that the aldehydes are present in the exuviae and dissipate over time, through evaporation or degradation. Microscopic observation of the fifth instar exuviae indicated that the dorsal abdominal glands on the exuviae maintained their pocket-like structures with gland reservoirs, within which the aldehydes might be retained. Two-choice olfactometer studies with the volatiles from exuviae or a synthetic blend mimicking the volatiles indicated that adult bed bugs tend to settle close to sources of the aldehydes. Our results imply that the presence and accumulation of bed bug exuviae and the aldehydes volatilizing from the exuviae might mediate bed bugs’ interaction with their microhabitats.
Highlights
It has been long known that bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) are associated with a characteristic odor
The current study examined whether the bed bug exuviae function as “dispensers” of the volatile pheromones, allowing the aldehydes to be slowly released from dorsal abdominal glands on the exuviae
Because the exuviae were collected from the bottom of small colonies that were comprised of nymphs only, the compounds detected in the headspace of exuviae likely originated from the exuviae themselves, rather than from contamination associated with alarm / defensive responses of live bed bugs to mechanical or chemical disturbances
Summary
It has been long known that bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) are associated with a characteristic odor. Kemper [1] described the odor associated with bed bugs as “obnoxious sweetness”. Two aldehydes that were originally identified from extracts of crushed bed bugs, (E)-2-hexenal and (E)-2-octenal, have been considered as two of the main components of the “bed bug odor” [2, 3]. Depending upon developmental stages, bed bugs produce these volatile aldehydes in two different glands. Nymphal bed bugs produce the compounds in dorsal abdominal glands on the third through fifth abdominal tergites, whereas adult bed bugs produce and store these aldehydes in their metathoracic scent glands [4, 5].
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