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Bed bugs might sound like an old-fashioned problem, but now they are back with a vengeance. Fifty years ago, the blood-sucking pests were nearly eradicated in the United States thanks in part to the use of pesticides like DDT. Today, they are creeping over sheets and tormenting sleepers across the country. New York was recently declared America's most bed-bug-infested city in America. In the past, we countered the bed bugs by using pesticides called pyrethrins and pyrethroids. These compounds work by attacking the nervous system. Insects have channels in the membranes of their nerve cells that can be opened to allow sodium into the cells, triggering a nerve impulse. Pyrethrins and pyrethroids alter the nervous system by binding to the sodium channels, locking them in the open position. This allows sodium to pour into the cell continuously, causing the nerve to fire repeatedly and eventually leading to paralysis. Todays bed bugs seem to be more resistant to the chemicals that previously killed them. Cases of resistance have been reported in all classes of pests: crop diseases, human diseases, weeds, rodents, and insects, with crises in insect control beginning shortly after the introduction of pesticide use in the 20th century.

Why do insect pests become resistant so readily to the pesticides used for control?

Insects reproduce in large numbers, increasing the chances of mutations that contribute to resistance.
An effective way to reduce pesticide resistance is to develop new pesticides.
Mutation in only a single gene can lead to the evolution of a resistant organism.
Insect exoskeletons reduce the effectiveness of pesticides and the death rate is much lower than was ever expected.
We often rely almost exclusively on pesticides for pest control and this increases selection pressure towards resistance.
Because insects have a short life span, they can produce many generations of offspring in a relatively short period.