Bed bugs 'dodge insecticides' with molecular tricks


"They are one of the toughest pests to get rid of. Vacating your bed - or even home - will not help, as the insects can survive for months without food, hiding away until their meal returns.

Direct exposure to insecticides - the most widely used are synthetic organic compounds called pyrethroids - was once an effective way to kill off the pests. But not any more.

Prof Palli said that the bed bugs had developed a number of biological systems to avoid death by poison."