1Household & Structural Urban Entomology Laboratory Vector Control Research Unit, School of Biological Science, Universiti Sains Malaysia Minden, Penang, 11800, Malaysia
*Email: abdhafiz@usm.my (corresponding author):
Online published on 26 February, 2026.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of cellulose and plant-based polysorbate-20 against field-collected tropical bed bugs Cimex hemipterus (F) on two treated surfaces: fabric and plywood. Both agents showed significantly higher efficacy on fabric compared to plywood. Plant-based polysorbate-20 achieved a mean knockdown of 63.33± 1.20% on fabric versus 13.33± 0.33% on plywood, while cellulose recorded 63.33± 0.33% on fabric and 16.67± 0.33% on plywood. Additionally, the bed bugs displayed avoidance behaviour on treated surfaces and a tendency to aggregate when exposed to the bioagents.
Bed bugs, Cimex hemipterus, Bioagent product, Plant-based, Cellulose, Tropical, Knockdown, Fabric, Plywood, Behaviour, Polysorbate 20
