One reason for the resistance could be that the bed bugs were previously exposed to pyrethroids before coming to the United States. Another possibility is the bugs developed resistance in the 1940s and 1950s when DDT was used for bed bug defense.
Released January 20, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In a recent study, entomologists at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture found the majority of bed bugs in the United States appear to have developed genetic mutations, making them resistant to the most commonly used insecticides called pyrethroids.
While there are many different types of pyrethroids, UK researchers have found once a bug is resistant to one, they are likely resistant to others in the same category.
--article continued on University of Kentucky Extension news
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