Bed Bugs Are Now Insecticide-Resistant

It will be harder for people to avoid the bed bugs bite as bed bugs are now insecticide-resistant. According to the latest studies, it seems that the bed bugs have started to grow a resistance to the substances that are commonly used to eradicate them.

The study selected two different towns in America and used the same insecticides based on neonicotinoids in both cities, but the results differed greatly. In the case of one town the insecticide was very efficient, but on the other, it took great amounts of the same substance to eradicate an equal amount of the tiny insects.

The neonicotinoids, or neonics as they are also called, are the most used insecticides in America. The researchers used four different types of the substance in their experiment. The dinotefuran, thiamethoxam, acetamiprid and imidacloprid have in their composition different amounts of neonicotinoids.

In order to test the efficiency of the substances, the researchers collected the bed bugs from homes in two different towns, Cincinnati, and Michigan. After collecting them, they exposed the bugs to the four different types of neonics. The results were staggering.

50 percent out of the non-resistant bugs were killed by only 0.3 nanograms of the acetamiprid substance, but it took 10,000 nanograms and more of the same neonics based concoction to kill 50 percent out of the resistant type.

The author of the cited study, Alvaro Romero from the State University of New Mexico advises companies that deal with pest control to be more vigilant when using the neonics based insecticides because of their declining performance.

The scientist also adds the fact that bedbugs that persist on a surface that was previously treated are a clear sign of insecticide resistance. He adds that if confronted with a case of insecticide-resistant bed bugs, exterminators should make use of alternative non-chemical methods or take into consideration substances that do not have neonics in their componence.

Bed bugs or dust mites are very small insects that thrive in dusty environments. They feed on the dead skin cells that can be found in the composition of dust. While they do bite, people are more allergic to their feces than to their saliva.

Last year the public was scared by a video released by a team of researchers in which they showed bed bugs swimming in a pool of their feces. The insects can eliminate fecal matter at an incredible rhythm, being able to produce more feces in a day than their entire body weight. The bad news? Bed bugs are now insecticide-resistant.

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