The common mistake that causes insects to survive insecticides – and what you need to do to stop it

Have you ever noticed that the insecticide that used to kill mosquitoes or cockroaches in your home has lost its effectiveness? This is not a product defect, but rather a powerful evolutionary phenomenon known as insect resistanceand the main culprit is repeated use of the same chemical.

The most common mistake in pest control is constantly applying the same product. This creates a selection pressure which, instead of killing all insects, allows only the genetically strongest and most resilient individuals to survive and reproduce.

The mechanism of natural selection in action

Resistance is a clear example of accelerated natural selection. Each insect population naturally has some individuals carrying a mutation that makes them immune to the mechanism of action of a particular insecticide.

When you apply the chemical:

1. Most insects die.
2. The rare genetically resistant species survive.
3. These survivors reproduce by passing on their “immunity” gene.

Over time, the entire population descends from these survivors, becoming completely resistant to this active ingredient. The product becomes useless. This mechanism is accelerated by biochemical tactics in insects, such as the production of enzymes that break down the insecticide before it causes cellular damage.

How to prevent insect resistance

To break this cycle and ensure pest control remains effective, the solution is to rotation of mechanisms of action. It is essential to look at the active principle (the ingredient…

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