ORIGINAL PAPER Efficacy of diatomaceous earth and a DE-aerosol formulation against the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius Linnaeus in the laboratory Yasmin Akhtar 1 • Murray B. Isman 1 Received: 20 July 2015 / Revised: 20 December 2015 / Accepted: 23 December 2015 / Published online: 2 January 2016 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016 Abstract We have investigated efficacy of a diatomaceous earth (DE) and an aerosol formulation thereof for contact and residual effects against the common bed bug, Cimex lectu- larius L. Efficacy of commercially available DE dust sam- ples varied with the product. DX13 TM and MotherEarth Ò dusts were significantly more effective than other DE dusts based on their lower lethal doses to kill 50 % of the insects, LD 50 values (LD 50 s = 0.17 and 0.18 g m -2 , respectively), in contact bioassays with adult bugs. DX13 TM -aerosol demonstrated residual effect in both plastic box and the Petri dish methods. In large plastic boxes mortality of the bed bugs due to residual effect of the aerosol was 98 % at 24 h. The residual effect of DX13 TM -aerosol in Petri dishes persisted for 21 days. Time to kill 50 % of the insects, LT 50 value, increased from 10.2 h for freshly applied DE dust to 46.1 h for dust aged for 21 days in Petri dishes. Mortality of the bed bugs in the Petri dishes was [ 97 % at 72 h, not only for fresh DX13 TM -aerosol residue, but also for residues aged up to 14 days. Mortality was 81 % at 72 h for DX13 TM -aerosol residue aged for 21 days. Mortality of bed bugs confined on a DX13 TM -incorporated mattress was 100 % at 48 and 72 h for bugs introduced on the mattress 3 and 32 weeks after manufacture, respectively. We also observed horizontal transfer of DX13 TM -dust between dead bugs collected from the DX13 TM -incorporated mattress to untreated ones. We discuss potential use of DX13 TM for the management of bed bugs. Keywords Hemiptera: Cimicidae Á Desiccant dust Á Horizontal transfer Á DX13 TM -incorporated mattress Á Contact and residual effects Key message • New control strategies are needed to manage bed bugs due to resistance development to commonly used syn- thetic insecticides • Diatomaceous earth DX13 TM and an aerosol formula- tion thereof possess contact and residual effects against C. lectularius • A DX13 TM -incorporated mattress killed C. lectularius • DX13 TM dust can cause secondary and tertiary mortality due to horizontal transfer of dust Introduction Dessicant dusts are among the oldest forms of insect con- trol agents and are considered effective as long as the insects come into direct contact with them (Benoit et al. 2009) and dust particles adhere to their cuticle. Inert dusts have various industrial and agricultural uses, including insecticide dust diluents and carriers (Ebeling 1971). Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a dust formed from fossilized diatoms, single-celled algae of varying shapes and sizes (Korunic 2013). In addition to amorphous silica (60–93 %), it may also contain some crystalline silica and oxides of aluminum, calcium, iron, lime, and magnesium, among other elements. (Subramanyam and Roesli 2000; Korunic 1998; Stathers et al. 2004). DE works primarily by damaging the waxy epicuticle of the insect through sorp- tion and to a lesser degree by abrasion or both (Korunic Communicated by M. Traugott. & Yasmin Akhtar yasmin.akhtar@ubc.ca 1 Faculty and Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada 123 J Pest Sci (2016) 89:1013–1021 DOI 10.1007/s10340-015-0722-7