What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger – Bed Bugs Agree
The science world is crawling with itch-worthy news after a recent article was published in the Journal of Medical Entomology announcing apparent bedbug resistance to current termination techniques.
Bedbugs are no new foe. Households have been fighting the creepy crawlers with DDT and other toxic insecticides since the 1940s and ‘50s. However, by the 1960s the bugs had already built up a tolerance to the substances and after the U.S. government saw the impact the use of DDT and other insecticides had on wildlife and the environment, they were banned in 1972.
Since then, pest control switched to another strategy, adopting the use of neonicotinoids, more commonly referred to as, neonics. Four of the common types of neonics include: acetamiprid, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam.
The recent study released suggests that now, these common insecticides, are also becoming less and less effective in getting rid of bedbug infestation.
Researchers compared how many nanograms of neonics were required to kill a bug found in a sample set of cities in New Jersey, Michigan and Ohio versus how many nanograms would be required for laboratory bedbugs.
The results will make your skin crawl.
In the area of the acetamiprid insecticide alone, while the laboratory bugs only required 0.3 nanograms of acetamiprid before at least half of the population of bugs were killed, the non-laboratory bugs required more than 10,000 nanograms! The other categories echoed the trend: each one needing hundreds if not thousands more nanograms to reach the same result.
The conclusion?
It has been suggested that the study expand the scope and continue further testing to determine how the findings reflect the bedbug populations throughout the United States and beyond.
Researchers are now being forced to ask themselves, is it time to alter our means of attack or do the bedbugs ultimately stand no chance?
Is resistance really futile?
See the Journal of Medical Entomology Abstract
If you have an infestation of any sort, don’t delay and get professional help. If you are in the Sacramento area, call (916) 457-7605 or contact Earth Guard Pest Services for a free pest assessment and estimate from our licensed, bonded and certified pest control professionals.