Fig. 1

Graphical representation of two behavioral assays designed to assess the interactions of two C. lectularius strains with commonly used bed nets. The bioassays quantified two distinct bed bug behaviors, namely blood meal (host)-seeking behavior of unfed bed bugs (a) and aggregation-seeking behavior of freshly fed bed bugs (b). These assays assessed the passage of bed bugs through various bed nets in response to host cues and aggregation stimuli, respectively. Note that the aluminum foil in b completely covers the aggregation jar (see Fig. 2c) but is truncated in this illustration to show the conditioned (feces- and aggregation pheromone-impregnated) section of file folder paper within the jar. The unconditioned ramps are sections of file folder paper that allow bed bugs to reach and traverse the bed net to gain access to a blood-meal source