U.S. Bedbugs Evolve Multiple Ways of Thwarting Insecticides
Humans may have helped bedbugs resist insecticides.
In a new study published online today in Scientific Reports, researchers examined the genes of bedbugs from different U.S. cities and found that several of the populations had multiple means of resisting a class of insecticides called pyrethroids.
Pyrethroid insecticides are commonly used in bedbug control because of their relative safety for humans and pets, effectiveness, and low cost, but their use has also led to widespread development of resistance in the pests. (Learn about bedbugs and how to tell if you have them.)
To investigate how some bedbugs were defending themselves, scientists compared the genes of 20 pyrethroid-resistant populations of the insects from around the country against a susceptible colony from Los Angeles, California.
The team identified 14 genes
