Originally Published in PCT Magazine March 2016
Bed Bugs Resistant to Widely Used Pesticides, Study Finds
Bed Bug Supplement – Bed Bug Supplement
New research from Virginia Tech and New Mexico State University sheds light on bed bug resistance to the neonicotinoid class of pesticides.
Some of the most widely used commercial chemicals to kill bed bugs are not effective because the pesky insects have built up a tolerance to them, according to a team of researchers from Virginia Tech and New Mexico State University.Millions of dollars have been spent on insecticides to kill the bugs that have wreaked havoc on everything from hotels in New York City to homes in Los Angeles. But this is the first study to show that overuse of certain insecticides has instead led to an increased resistance to the compounds, making them much less effective than advertised.“While we all want a powerful tool to fight bed bug infestations, what we are using is not working like it was designed to do anymore and people are spending a lot of money on tools that aren’t effective,” said Troy Anderson, an assistant professor of entomology in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.A CLOSER LOOK. Anderson and Alvaro Romero, an assistant professor of entomology at New Mexico State University, published their findings in the Journal of Medical Entomology in January.The two examined neonicotinoids which are often paired with pyrethroids in commercial applications to treat bed bugs.“Companies need to be vigilant for hints of declining performance of products that contain neonicotinoids,” Romero said. “For example, bed bugs persisting on previously treated surfaces might be an indication of resistance.”The researchers conducted their study by comparing bed bugs from homes in Cincinnati and Michigan that had been exposed to neonics with a colony that a researcher has kept isolated since before the insecticide was used. For the last 30 years, the colony has been in an isolated lab run by Harold Harlan with the Armed Forces Pest Management Board.
“Unfortunately, the insecticides we were hoping would help solve some of our bed bug problems are no longer as effective as they used to be, so we need to reevaluate some of our strategies for fighting them,” said Anderson, who is also a researcher at the Fralin Life Science Institute.
“If resistance is detected, products with different modes of action need to be considered, along with the use of non-chemical methods,” said Romero.
LOOKING FOR NEW APPROACHES. Another researcher at Virginia Tech, Dr. Dini Miller, is also working on ways to tackle the bed bug issue.
Miller and her colleagues at the Virginia Tech Dodson Urban Pest Management Laboratory began investigating bed bugs in 2004 by studying pesticide resistance and new approaches to their control.
A large part of their work involves teaching people how to manage bed bug infestations in homes and businesses.
In addition, Miller works with home health care workers, social services, apartment and shelter managers, and school facilities personnel to raise awareness.
The preceding article was reprinted from materials provided by Virginia Tech University.
What I take away from this article is that heat will continue to become more and more of a primary treatment method for the extermination of bed bugs. You can find more about killing bed bugs with heat here.
Some of the most widely used commercial chemicals to kill bed bugs are not effective because the pesky insects have built up a tolerance to them, according to a team of researchers from Virginia Tech and New Mexico State University.Millions of dollars have been spent on insecticides to kill the bugs that have wreaked havoc on everything from hotels in New York City to homes in Los Angeles. But this is the first study to show that overuse of certain insecticides has instead led to an increased resistance to the compounds, making them much less effective than advertised.“While we all want a powerful tool to fight bed bug infestations, what we are using is not working like it was designed to do anymore and people are spending a lot of money on tools that aren’t effective,” said Troy Anderson, an assistant professor of entomology in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.A CLOSER LOOK. Anderson and Alvaro Romero, an assistant professor of entomology at New Mexico State University, published their findings in the Journal of Medical Entomology in January.The two examined neonicotinoids which are often paired with pyrethroids in commercial applications to treat bed bugs.“Companies need to be vigilant for hints of declining performance of products that contain neonicotinoids,” Romero said. “For example, bed bugs persisting on previously treated surfaces might be an indication of resistance.”The researchers conducted their study by comparing bed bugs from homes in Cincinnati and Michigan that had been exposed to neonics with a colony that a researcher has kept isolated since before the insecticide was used. For the last 30 years, the colony has been in an isolated lab run by Harold Harlan with the Armed Forces Pest Management Board.
