Cockroaches becoming insecticide-resistant —study

Cockroaches are becoming harder to eliminate as some of its species are starting to evolve to survive insecticides, a study from Purdue University in the US claimed.

According to a report by Oscar Oida in GMA's 24 Oras on Thursday, an expert said that a cockroach may develop resistance and pass this trait on when it survives after being sprayed with insecticide.

"Sabihin natin may 10 pang ipis inisprayan mo, siyam ang namatay. 'Yung isang nabuhay puwede siyang nakapag-develop ng resistance ngayon kapag itong nabuhay na ipis na ito ay nakapag-reproduce ng another individual na may resistance din, 'yung mga anak nila mamamana ang resitance na 'yon," said Ronniel Pedales, entomologist from the UP Diliman Institute of Biology.

"Through many generations puwede pa 'yan ma-strengthen 'yung resitance na na-develop nila. 'Yung ating mga weapon, 'yung ating mga insecticide eventually talaga magiging ineffective sila," he added.

Pedales said that public health might be compromised if the cockroach population growth goes out of control as these may carry microbes and protozoa which may cause different diseases.

Some pest control experts said that research studies are continuously being conducted to develop more effective insecticides. —LDF, GMA News