(WHDH) — Cockroaches are already a serious threat to humans, carrying an array of bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella. On top of sickening people, the pesky insects are now inching closer to invincibility.
New evidence indicates German cockroaches are developing a resistance to some of the most potent insecticides used by exterminators, according to a Purdue University study.
Michael Scharf, an Entomology professor at the university, says the problem has become especially prevalent in urban and low-income areas, as well as federally subsidized housing.
“This is a previously unrealized challenge in cockroaches,” Scharf said in findings published by Scientific Reports. “Cockroaches developing resistance to multiple classes of insecticides at once will make controlling these pests almost impossible with chemicals alone.”
After testing out various insecticides at multi-unit buildings in Indiana and Illinois over a period of six months, Scharf and his team determined an “integrated pest management system” is “critical” to controlling the evolving insects.
Because German cockroaches were surviving insecticide treatments, combining chemical treatments with traps and improving sanitation is key moving forward.
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