Investigating Mechanisms of Insecticide Resistance: Methods, Strategies, and Pitfalls

Abstract

Pesticide resistance is a severe and important problem in situations where chemicals are used to kill pests. However, apart from the economic, social, and environmental costs associated with this problem, resistant insects are a physiological marvel. Some strains have become so resistant to a given insecticide that they can survive exposure to virtually any dose. Pesticide resistance is truly one of the most amazing cases of evolutionary adaptation to environmental change, especially when we consider that it has occurred relatively quickly in terms of evolutionary time.