Progress 01/02/15 to 01/01/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The office serves private citizens, pest management professionals, the real estate industry, nurseries, the land care industry,arborists, health departments, other medical professionals, charities, menufacturing, the hospitality industry, housing authorities, museums, municipalities, libraries, scientific community, educational institutions, state government and related agencies, and the media. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The published results of the paper have been discussed within the expert scientific communities of medical professionals and medical entomologists with planned for future studies using humans. Initial explorative tests have begun. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The insect information office has continue to lead in public outreach, by providing identification and education services to the general public. There will continue to be numerous State and New England wide presentations and training programs for bed bugs, the emerald ash borer, the Asian longhorn beetle, and now the spotted lanterfly as well as a number of other arthropods that may cause economic harm or distress to citizens in Connecticut. Coupled with public service and outreach is a research element focusing on bed bug management. Recent published research from this office has shown that xenointoxication of a rabbit with ivermectin can kill and/or severely harm bed bug reproduction and viability causing a negative impact to established populations. This technique might be supportive to more traditional chemical approaches, especially in difficult to access situations such as space occupied by hoarders or cluttered apartments when senior citizens have downsized from their homes. These types of settings provide enhanced protections for bed bugs blocking chemical treatments from reaching the insects. The alternative treatment using heat is also made more difficult, because insects are protected by a mass of artifacts and articles with an added risk of fire. Treating insects through natural feeding provides a neat alternative of control in these kinds of situations.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Xenointoxication of a rabbit for the control of the common bed bug Cimex lectularius L. using ivermectin
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Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience: The office serves private citizens, pest management professionals, the real estate industries, nurseries, land care businesses, arborists, state and local health departments, other medical professionals, charities, manufacturing, the hospitality industry, schools, colleges and universities, state and local housing authroities, museums, state and local municipalities, libraries, law enforcement, state government including public service agencies, and the media. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Attended Entomology Society of America, Entomology Society of Canada, and the Entomology Society of British Columbia joint annual meeting as well as presenting and exchanging information with other professionals at regional, national, and international meetings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results and information are disseminated to communities of interest using printed material, talks, symposiums, lectures, and speeches. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to build a robust public service insect information office.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The insect information office handled 11,965 requests for information which was down from the 2017 record of 15,870 inquiries. The decline was because Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar populations had collapsed. The outbreak was brought under control by the entomopathogenic fungus Entomophaga maimaiga. A cold wet spring in 2018 additionally assisted fungal inoculation of the caterpillars' further suppressing populations. There still remained "hot spots" of Gypsy moth activity which prompted calls from affected citizens. Inquiries remained elevated into 2018, in part due to public concern about the insect and pesticide use against it. There were 983 specific calls about pesticides, many concerning treatment against the Gypsy moth. There were 601 categories of inquiries including insects, arachnids, animal, pesticides, insect damage, general entomology, and horticulture. Delusional Infestation (DI) formerly Delusory Parasitosis (DP) cases continued to rise from 189 in 2016, 243 in 2017 to 300 in 2018. These are time consuming psychological cases that encompass multiple phone calls, emails, and visits which often involve medical professionals.Additionally she worked with National Geographic to raise public awarenes about Delusions of Parasitosis. Following a mild winter due to possible "climate change" tick populations, especially American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis remained high. Black legged tick, Ixodes scapularis populations were also high with the insect information office responding to numerous calls and visits during the spring. Many tick submissions for Lyme disease testing passed though the insect information office. Additionally, mistaken tick identifications from the public were forwarded to the office for identification by the Experiment Station's tick testing laboratory. Woodland cockroach, Parcoblatta pennsylvanica populations increased; there was a brief period of high activity of the four-lined Poecilocapsus lineatus and tarnished Lygus lineolaris plant bugs, during early spring. Ant inquiries remained low. German cockroach inquiries increased indicating populations may be recovering from near extirpation in the early 2,000's from the use of effective modern baits. During a warm February the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys inquiries increased as overwintering insects became active in buildings. The cottony scales were active especially cottony maple scale, Pulvinaria innumerabilis which was found on many shrubs and trees. The highest inquiry was human feeding bed bugs (3603) at 31% of total calls, followed in order by pesticides (987), and DI (300). Termite and fall webworm inquiries were up as well. Inquiries were the second highest on record with 11,965 in 2018 and was higher than normal. This may be an artifact of continued public interest in the Gypsy moth and a continued rise in bed bug inquiries. Of these 53% were natural resources, 43% man and medical issues, 1% undetermined, and 3% food related. Dr. Ridge hosted a number of trainings on bed bugs including a national Mattress Recycling Council trainings under the leadership of DEEP as part of a requirement written into the Connecticut mattress recycling law, Act 13-42. The office continued to lead in public outreach building collaborative relationships and projects with local, state, and federal agencies, particularly health departments to better serve the needs of Connecticut citizen. Additionally Dr. Ridge identified a number of exotic insects that were introduced to Connecticut during the fiscal year. The number of these identifications were unusually high with 10 confirmed identifications.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The office serves private citizens, pest management professionals, the real estate industry, nurseries, land care businesses, arborists, health departments, other medical professionals, charities, manufacturing, the hospitality industry, schools, colleges, and universities, housing authorities, museums, municipalities, libraries, law enforcement, state government, and the media. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Attended the International Congress of Entomologist (ICE) meeting as well as presenting and exchanging information with other professionals at regional and national meetings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results and information are disseminated to communities of interest via printed material, talks, lectures, and speeches. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to build a robust public service insect information office.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The insect information office handled at least 15,870 recorded inquiries. There were 571categories of inquiries including insects, arachnids, animal, pesticide use, insect damage, general entomology, and horticultural issues. Categories were condensed this year. Delusory Parasitosis (DP) cases continued to rise from 189 in 2016 to 243 this fiscal year. These are time consuming psychological cases that encompass multiple phone calls, emails, and visits which often involved medical professionals. In March 2017 Dr. Ridge' work with DP sufferers was reported in STAT an online magazine affiliated with the Boston Globe. This brought national attention to the condition. The article was written by Eric Boodman and titled, "Accidental therapists: For insect detectives the trickiest cases involve the bugs that aren't really there." Following a mild winter due to possible "climate change" tick populations, especially American dog ticks Dermacentor variabilis were very high. Black legged tick Ixodes scapularis populations were also high with in excess of 200 public submissions to the Station for Lyme disease testing per day at the busiest time. Many of these submissions passed though the insect information office with mistaken tick identifications from the public returned to the office for a correction of identification. In addition non-native but North American established insects enjoyed an elevation in populations. For example, the spotted Mediterranean cockroach Ectobius pallidus first introduce to Cape Cod in the early 1940's, became well established along the Connecticut shoreline as far south as Milford and inland up the Quinnipiac river valley as it expanded its range (12 positive identifications). The Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) outbreak far exceeded all other inquiries during the spring of 2017 with 6764 calls. Many callers took the opportunity to ask additional arthropod questions inflating numbers further. The second highest inquiry was bed bugs (3178), ticks (392), DP (243), then animals (especially rodents) and pollinators. Not including the Gypsy moth calls, inquiries were the highest on record with 9106. Of these 58% were natural resources, 39% man and medical issues, 1% undetermined, and 2% food related. Bed and bat bug inquiries remain a leading inquiry rising to 3,178 (35%) up from last year.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Sheele, J. M., G. E. Ridge, T. S. McCormick, K Coppolino, A.B.Young, S. L. Gaines, T. Bonfield. 2017.Antibody and cytokine levels in humans fed on by the common bed bug Cimex lectularius L. Journal of Parasite Immunology
Soghigian, J. G. E. Ridge, K. C. Stafford III, G. Molaei. 2017. The First Evidence of Naniam in Ixodes (Ixodes) scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae), Found Parasitizing a Human Host. J. Med. Entomol Vol. 0. No. 0: 1-5.
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Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences are private citizens, pest management professionals, the real estate industry, nurseries, land care businesses, arborists, health departments, other medical professionals, charities, manufacturing, the hospitality industry, housing authorities, museums, municipalities, libraries, state government, and the media. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training of professional groups with regard to bed bug management in local, state and regional meetings. Use of billboard and public transportation posters, media broadcasts, and written media in the form of fact sheets and newspaper and magazine interviews. Attended and spoke at the International Congress of Entomology. Organized and hosted Bed Bug Forum X to educate professionals about a new Connecticut landlord and tenant bed bug law. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information has been disseminated via lectures, speeches, media interviews, and printed material. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?To continue public education and professional training and to evolveas the environment of communication changes. Maintain insect identification services as well as provide taxonomic support for the USDA Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
There were 8,516 arthropod and other related inquiries answered by the insect information office. There were 961 categories of inquiries including insects, arachnids, animals, pesticide use, insect damage, general entomology, and horticultural issues. Of these, 38% were related to man and medical issues, 3% undetermined, 54% natural resources, and 5% food related. Bed and bat bug inquiries remain the leading inquiry with 2,782 (33%) of the identifications performed by the office. In order of numbers, the second highest query were beetles (437), followed by Gypsy moth (407), mosquitoes (402) then ticks, animals (especially chipmunks and voles), honey bees, hemlock woolly adelgid, and forest pests. This last spring (2016), there was a more severe outbreak of the Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) compared to 2015 with widespread defoliation in Middlesex and New London Counties. Delusory parsitosis cases continue to remain high with 189 requests for help (3%). These are time consuming psychological cases that encompass multiple phone calls, emails, and visits which often involve medical professionals. Bi-lingual public outreach continues and a successful public transportation bed bug information poster program will be continued. Additionally, the officeprovidededucational support under the leadership of the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) for the recycling of used mattresses under the Connecticut mattress recycling law, Act 13-42. The 14 months following the May 2015 inception of the law, over 140,000 used mattresses have been recycled in Connecticut and the program has expanded into neighboring New England States (data obtained from the MRC). On May 3 "An Act Concerning the Rights and Responsibilities of Landlords and Tenants Regarding the Treatment of Bed Bugs," Act 16-51 passed the Connecticut House and Senate and was signed into law by Governor Dannell Malloy. The law was written by attorney Judith R. Dicine legal counsel for the Connecticut Coalition Against Bed Bugs founded by Dr. Ridge in 2009. Assisted by Dr. Ridge and lead by Representative Larry Butler (Waterbury district), it took five years to get the law passed. The law has drawn a great deal of interest from the real estate industry with a huge positive economic impact on management of bed bugs in buildings.
Publications
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Progress 01/02/15 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences are private citizens, pest management professionals, the real estate industry, nurseries, land care businesses, arborists, health departments, other medical professionals, charities, manufacturing, the hospitality industry, housing authorities, museums, municipalities, libraries, state government, and the media. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training of professional groups with regard to bed bug management in local, state and regional meetings. Use of billboard and public transportation posters, media broadcasts, and written media in the form of fact sheets and newspaper and magazine interviews. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information has been disseminated via lectures, speeches, media interviews, and printed material. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? To continue public education and professional training and to evolveas the environment of communication changes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
There were 8,549 arthropod and other related inquiries answered by the insect information office. In addition 8,000 bark beetles from the family Scolydidae were identified as part of the CAPS trapping program. There were 947 categories of inquiries including insects, arachnids, animals, pesticide use, insect damage, general entomology, and horticultural issues. Of these, 32% were related to man and medical issues, 1% undetermined, 65% natural resources, and 2% food related. Bed and bat bug inquiries remain the leading inquiry with 2,701 (31%) of the identifications performed by the office. In order of numbers, the second highest were wasps and bees, beetle including the emerald ash borer, gypsy moth, white grubs, termites, and ticks. This year saw a gypsy moth outbreak causing widespread defoliation of trees. Additionally, Dr. Ridge identified the Southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis,a destructive pest of primarily pines as newly introduced to the State of Connecticut. Bi-lingual public outreach continues under the leadership of the Connecticut Coalition Against Bed Bugs (CCABB) chaired by Dr. Ridge,and a successful public transportation bed bug information poster program will be renewed. Additionally, the officeprovidededucational support for a new law that addressedthe recycling of used mattresses. Since May 2015, over 60,000 used mattresses have been recycled. In January 2015, the insect information office moved into a new state of the art facility, with laboratory, office, public reception, and a climate controlled collections room. These facilities will enhance the public service capabilities of the office.
Publications
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