The distribution of the european swallow bug (oeciacus hirundinis jenyns, 1839) in the nests of house martin (delichon urbica linnaeus, 1758) in afyonkarahisar

Abstract

Aim: This study was carried out to identify species responsible for infestation of swallow bugs frequently observed in the nests of house martin (Delichon urbica) which live mainly eaves of buildings and to determine it's prevalance. For this purpose, the nests at the buildings in central campus of Afyon Kocatepe University were examined. Materials and Methods: Bugs were collected from nests in order to identify the species and it's prevalance. Collected nymphs and mature bugs were cleared and sections were prepared; and then they were identified according to morphological characteristics under a microscope. Results: The European swallow bug (Oeciacus hirundinis) has been identified in some house martin nests and was reported for the first time in Turkey. Of the 82 nests examined, 21 (25.60%) were infested with bugs. Lower number of mature bugs were observed when the nests were empty due to migration of house martins. The highest number of bugs collected from nests was 75 whereas the lowest was 13. The number of female and male bugs were usually similar (1:1- 1.2:1). Nymph stage of the bugs showed a peak in June and July after the first and second incubation periods of house martins. When house martins started to leave nests and tend to migrate, bugs showed high activity, moved towards interior sites of the buildings and cracks and crevices in the walls. Conclusions: This situation poses a risk for human as it was reported that these species can suck blood in human. Beside rash and allergic reactions, they have the potential to transfer viral and bacterial infections.

Keywords

• delichon urbica
• oeciacus hirundinis
• afyonkarahisar
• turkey