In laboratory settings, bed bugs can show a decrease in their resistance to insecticides over years. This occurs because the bed bugs are not exposed to the selective pressure of chemical sprays. While there is no direct evidence for bed bugs specifically, it has been observed in other laboratory insects. This suggests that when testing insecticides using laboratory bed bugs, their effectiveness may be overestimated.
The resistance will never completely disappear or return to the "wild" type in laboratory. At least the mutations in the sodium channel gene, which are responsible for resistance to pyrethroids, are firmly established in both common and tropical bed bug populations. Consequently, all our strains, except for the London lab strain and bat-related strains, display varying degrees of resistance to pyrethroids.
To evaluate the suitability of our strains for different purposes, we actively measure resistance levels to pyrethroids and other insecticide classes. Additionally, we continuously acquire new field strains with realistic resistance levels, integrating them into our laboratory.
For the current resistance status of our strains, please refer to the title page.