Pesticide Resistance — How Mosquitoes Develop Resistance to Insecticides

insecticide resistance

Mosquitoes can cause various diseases in humans. They are one of the most common pests to be found all around the world. Manchester is no exception when it comes to mosquito infestation. Mosquitoes can breed rapidly when given favorable conditions such as water and warm surroundings. 

Due to this reason, you must maintain cleanliness around and in your home. Female mosquitoes are commonly known to feed on human blood. Mosquitoes, being tiny, are capable of causing diseases that can get worse if the treatment is not received on time. 

Dengue fever, malaria, etc, are two of the common diseases caused by female mosquitoes. Controlling mosquito infestation can be a difficult task for residents in Manchester. This is because they are usually found in large populations and not just a single mosquito. 

While there are different controlling methods, if nothing proves to be helpful, it is better to contact Manchester mosquito control services to get rid of them. 

What do you understand about insecticide resistance?

Mosquitoes that can spread diseases are usually controlled by using Insecticides, which is also a part of IMM (Integrated Mosquito Management). However, when insecticides are used over a more extended period of time, mosquitoes become capable of developing resistance to these chemicals. 

In such cases, it becomes challenging to kill mosquitoes with insecticides. In order to prevent insecticide resistance among the mosquito population, insecticide resistance management should be incorporated into different programs. 

However, there is going to be a need for careful monitoring of the vector population of mosquitoes. It is to see if they have developed resistance to insecticides or not, and then accordingly, strategies will be developed. The resistance to insecticides can be because of multiple reasons, including:

  • Misusing the pesticides on mosquito populations.
  • Changes that may take place in the behaviour of mosquitoes.
  • The changes can be biological as well.

Pesticide Resistance

What are the types of insecticide resistance?

Insecticide resistance can be of different types, including:

  • Cross-resistance 
  • Target site resistance
  • Multiple resistance
  • Behavioural resistance.

It is essential that professionals understand what type of resistance mosquitoes have developed in order to come up with the best possible strategy to control them and get rid of them. 

Monitoring can be done on a regular basis to identify the signs of mosquito resistance. There are also different types of tests that can detect the resistance. WHO tube tests can be used for mosquitos in the adult stage. Cup bioassays are used for the larval stage. 

How can you adjust the control strategies when the resistance is shown?

When the professional sees resistance towards a particular product, they can increase the concentration of the product. They can also decrease depending on their observations. Furthermore, in some cases, they may even have to come up with an entirely different product. 

Eventually, Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM) is what is going to come to be able to fight mosquito resistance. There are also other techniques to control mosquito populations from their source site. We are aware that mosquitoes need standing water in order to breed. 

Consistent surveillance can help identify areas that are highly populated by mosquitoes. In this way, experts can remove the sources of standing water from various places, thereby decreasing the chances of further mosquito infestation. 

Conducting educational programs about mosquito infestation can also prove to be highly effective. You should know that a single female mosquito is capable of giving two to three hundred eggs in one go. They can even make use of a tiny bottle cap to lay eggs. 

Enhance the management of mosquitoes with experts!

It is always better to contact a professional when things are not being able to be handled by you. Professionals have years of experience in dealing with pests like mosquitoes. Therefore, reach out to pest control services in Manchester and make your home mosquito-free.