A new study suggests that bedbugs in some American cities have developed resistance to the most widely used insecticides to control them, WebMD reports.
The present research is the first study to document bedbugs with resistance to neonicotinoids (neonics), the study authors said.
Neonics are the most widely used class of insecticides to control the spread of bedbugs.
For the study, the researchers collected bedbugs from homes in Cincinnati and Michigan. They exposed the bedbugs to four different neonics; namely, acetamiprid, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam.
The study showed that while only 0.3 nanograms of acetamiprid was needed to kill 50 percent of the nonresistant bedbugs, it took more than 10,000 nanograms to kill 50 percent of the bedbugs from Cincinnati and Michigan.
Pest control companies "need to be vigilant for hints of declining performance of products that contain neonicotinoids," said study author Alvaro Romero from New Mexico State University.
"For example, bedbugs persisting on previously treated surfaces might be an indication of resistance. In these cases, laboratory confirmation of resistance is advised, and if resistance is detected, products with different modes of action need to be considered, along with the use of non-chemical methods," Romano said in a journal news release.
The study was published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
