Read this. And be warned.
Some disturbing news is sending ripples across the globe, showing what observers call a fatalistic vision: That cockroaches have apparently begun to develop a cross-resistance to powerful insecticides.
A study led by Michael Scharf of the Indiana, USA-based Purdie University, exposed German cockroaches to different insecticides and discovered the cockroach populations not only
developed a resistance to the insecticide they were exposed to, but also picked up resistances to other insecticides.
The super-immune insects can then pass their resistance on to their offspring, making it only a matter of time before a given population becomes, essentially, insecticide-proof, according to the study.
Purdue University is a public research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system.
The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture in his name.
The study said, “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.”
The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports and will become the ur-text of the coming Global Cockroach Age.
Isn’t knowledge wonderful?