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Project information
Parasitation by bed bugs (Cimicidae): a possible cause of roost switching by bats

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Project Identification
GP206/07/P098
Project Period
1/2007 - 12/2009
Investor / Pogramme / Project type
Czech Science Foundation
  • Postdoctoral projects
MU Faculty or unit
Faculty of Science
Keywords
bed bugs, survival, bat boxes, Pipistrellus

The objective of the presented project is to get the knowledge interactions of bats with roost ectoparasites, bed bugs of groups of Cimex dissimilis and C. lectularius. Results of the finished grant of the GA CR (No. 206/02/0961) and subsequent field research have shown frequent movements between different shelters in Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus. The new project is focussed on potential causality of the bat movements and the dynamics in numbers of the bed bugs. Furthermore, the abundancy of bed bugs, the level of parasitation of adults and juveniles and the level of comfort behaviouor (grooming) in adult females will be assessed. Behavioural patterns will be recorded by a digital camera. Survival ability and feed promptness of bed bugs will be tested under suboptimal microclimatic conditions and different time of starvation. Sampling of bed bugs in bat boxes occupied by nursery colonies of P. pygmaeus will be taken in two steps: i) manually sampling and ii) recording of movement activity by videosystem.

Publications

Total number of publications: 9

2012

2010

2009

2008

2007

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