Resistance? Rotate

Most PMPs said they have encountered insecticide resistance in bed bug populations but were not overly concerned about it.

The 2023 PCT State of the Bed Bug Control Market survey found that 43 percent of PMPs rarely encountered bed bug resistance in their market area and 22 percent said it was a manageable problem. Only 2 percent said resistance was a serious, difficult-to-manage issue. Nearly a third (32 percent) of PMPs said they had not encountered resistance in their market areas.

To prevent resistance from developing in bed bug populations, Superior Pest Control technicians use a different chemical product, featuring a different active ingredient and mode of action, for the initial and follow-up treatment.

“You have to have a multi-faceted approach. If you’re just using one method or one particular chemical, I think you are going to run into resistance,” said Jaime Pilbeam, who was aware of some resistance occurring in his market because “people aren’t rotating chemicals.”

Of the 47 percent of PMPs who said their company locations had implemented a treatment protocol to prevent bed bug resistance, 89 percent said product rotation was a core practice.

Brad Sparks, Elite Pest and Termite Control, experienced bed bug resistance to liquid pyrethrin at a low-income housing complex. “We were finding that because we were coming in behind previous companies who had been applying those products,” he said.

When Sparks switched to a biopesticide for these jobs, his success rate improved significantly.

Q36 Pest Control also added biopesticide to its product mix to address resistance. “I think bed bugs seem to be pretty resilient creatures. They get used to what we’re using so we’re having to adjust,” said Lee Ruble.

PMPs said the pests also can become resistant to the over-the-counter products that residents apply to try to fix the problem on their own.