Mosquitoes, Ticks, and Bed Bugs, Oh My!

Three scientists will present on the topic of insects that feed on humans—and in two of the three cases, carry serious diseases. The presentations on mosquitoes, ticks, and bed bugs will be given during a special session at the annual meeting of the Advisory Council of the Northeastern IPM Center in Baltimore, Maryland on October 27, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Although the meeting will be open only to the Advisory Council, the special session will be streamed live over the Internet.

Should we be concerned about Zika, Chikungunya or other emerging mosquito-borne diseases in the northeastern United States? Paul Leisnham of the University of Maryland will address this question by considering important social and ecological dimensions of mosquitoes in urban landscapes. He will specifically focus on recent interdisciplinary and collaborative research from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

Kirby Stafford of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station will discuss tick-borne diseases, including Lyme and others. Lyme disease is the leading arthropod associated disease in the United States with an estimated 300,000 people diagnosed with Lyme each year. However, the blacklegged tick (aka, deer tick), Ixodes scapularis, is the vector for at least five other human pathogens that cause babesiosis, anaplasmosis, a recently recognized relapsing fever Borrelia, and Powassan encephalitis, and a newly described Lyme Borrelia. Stafford will highlight the various tick-borne diseases and tick management work.

Changlu Wang of Rutgers University will gave a talk on bed bugs, which are found across the globe from North and South America, to Africa, Asia and Europe. Bed bug infestations usually occur around or near the areas where people sleep. Bite responses can range from an absence of any physical signs of the bite, to a small bite mark, to a serious allergic reaction. Bed bugs are more than a nuisance pest. People’s tolerance to bed bugs is much lower than to the common nuisance pests such as ants, flies, and cockroaches. Wang will discuss new research on the resurgence and control of bed bugs.

To join the live stream on October 27 at 9:00 a.m., please visit the following link:
http://neipmc.org/go/RTPD