Cockroaches getting stronger, becoming immune to most insecticides: study

All our efforts to wipe out those tiny cockroaches are going in vain! These insects have evolved and are only getting stronger by the day.

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports sheds light on the developing immunity of cockroaches towards insecticides. Not just this, but these super immune insects are also able to pass on their immunity onto their offsprings.

"This is a previously unrealized challenge in cockroaches. Cockroaches developing resistance to multiple classes of insecticides at once will make controlling these pests almost impossible with chemicals alone," CNN quoted Michael Scharf, lead researcher, Purdue University as sharing.

For the following study, scientists subjected cockroaches to a number of insecticides which were separated based on their toxicity levels, chemical composition along with some other factors and found that the insects have developed certain resistance to the insecticides.

Scharf also highlighted that this immunity in a single generation of cockroaches grows by four to six times. Think of it this way, a female cockroach can deliver 200-300 offspring in her lifetime, thus, more cockroaches less immune to insecticides!

However, Scharf added a solution and added that diverse pest treatment methods might help in catering to this. This could include physical methods like traps and vacuums, and preventative measures like station.

( With inputs from ANI )