Amir Aharoni, Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev (NIBN), Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel. The size of the microbial world is beyond our imagination. In last year’s crystal ball article, Tom Curtis compared the size of the microbial world to the size of the universe pointing out that the number of microorganisms in the world is billion...

An integrated pest management (IPM) pilot program for landscape plants was implemented during 1997 and 1998 on two commercial, two residential, and one institutional property managed by landscape professionals. When compared with preprogram, calendar-based cover spray program costs at these sites in 1996, the IPM program was cost-effective at one of the five sites in both 1997 and 1998, and cos...

Some bugs, among the millions that exist, are similar to each other. When fixing a bug, a programmer tends to search for similar bugs that have been reported and resolved in the past. A fix for a similar bug can help him understand his bug, or even directly fix his bug. Studying bugs with similar symptoms, programmers may determine how to detect or resolve them. Existing work has focused on ana...

The cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) could play an important role in the transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) because of its breeding ecology, reservoir competence status, and potentially high natural exposure rates. Cliff swallows nest within colonies and their nests are occupied year-round by swallow bugs (Oeciacus vicarius), hematophagus ectoparasites that feed primarily on cliff sw...

BACKGROUND The resistance of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) to chemical insecticides has motivated the development of non-chemical control methods such as heat treatment. However, because bed bugs tend to hide in cracks or crevices, their behavior incidentally generates a thermally insulated microenvironment for themselves. Bed bugs located on the outer surface of luggage are less insulated an...

(known locally as a 'lady health workers') have formed the backbone of the primary health care system for the past fifteen years. These women are members of the communities they serve and are responsible for 150–200 households (around 1,000 people) each. They provide primary health care with a focus on reproductive health and family planning. During the day, lady health workers visit women at t...

Proxy Lady is a mobile system for informal, opportunistic face-to-face communication, running on a PDA equipped with a radio transceiver. “Opportunistic communication” is anticipated by one party but it only occurs when the parties happen to meet each other. Proxy Lady supports such communication by providing notifications about possible “candidates for interaction” in the environment. The user...

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) have resurged in the United States and globally. Bed bugs are hematophagous ectoparasites of humans and other animals, including domestic pets, chickens, and bats, and their blood feeding habits contribute to their potential as disease vectors. Several species of Bartonella are re-emergent bacterial pathogens that also affect humans, domestic pets, bats and a num...

Carbon dioxide (CO2), heat, and chemical lure (1-octen-3-ol and L-lactic acid) were tested as attractants for bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L. (Heteroptera: Cimicidae), by using pitfall traps. Both CO2 and heat were attractive to bed bugs. CO2 was significantly more attractive to bed bugs than heat. Traps baited with chemical lure attracted more bed bugs but at a statistically nonsignificant leve...

CONTEXT Bed bug (Cimex lectularius) infestations are rapidly increasing worldwide. Health consequences include nuisance biting and cutaneous and systemic reactions. The potential for bed bugs to serve as disease vectors and optimal methods for bed bug pest control and eradication are unclear. OBJECTIVES To present current knowledge of the health and medical effects of bed bugs and to explore ...