Standard metabolic rate of the bed bug, Cimex lectularius: Effects of temperature, mass, and life stage

• The effects of temperature on bed bug V̇O2 differed by life stage/mating status.
• First instars RQ was significantly lower than all other life stages.
• Bed bug V̇O2 fell in between that of ticks and other arthropods when scaled with mass.
• V̇O2 has strong potential to predict survival time during starvation.

Metabolic rates provide important information about the biology of organisms. For ectothermic species such as insects, factors such as temperature and mass heavily influence metabolism, but these effects differ considerably between species. In this study we examined the standard metabolic rate of the bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. We used closed system respirometry and measured both O2 consumption and CO2 production across a range of temperatures (10, 20, 25, 30, 35 °C) and life stages, while also accounting for activity. Temperature had a stronger effect on the mass specific V̇O2 (ml g−1 h−1) of mated males (Q10 = 3.29), mated females (Q10 = 3.19), unmated males (Q10 = 3.09), and nymphs that hatched (first instars, Q10 = 3.05) than on unmated females (Q10 = 2.77) and nymphs that molted (second through fifth instars, Q10 = 2.78). First instars had significantly lower respiratory quotients (RQ) than all other life stages. RQ of all stages was not affected by temperature. V̇O2 (ml h−1) scaled more with mass than values previously reported for other arthropods or that would be predicted by the 3/4-power law. The results are used to understand the biology and ecology of the bed bug.

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