insecticide

11 Stories

'Nothing' Works Well When It Comes to Killing Cockroaches

Researchers found the bugs rapidly developed resistance

(Newser) - If cockroaches gross you out, you are not going to be a fan of this study . New research out of Purdue University has found the most common type of cockroach is getting "closer to invincibility," as a press release puts it. This after researchers tried, and mostly failed,...

Chemical Used to Kill Lice Linked to Kids' Bad Behavior

Study on pyrethroids is 'cause for concern,' says a child psychiatrist

(Newser) - Here's something else not to like about lice, mosquitoes, and fleas. An insecticide used to kill them—pyrethroids—might be linked to behavior issues in children as young as 6, a French study suggests. The researchers, noting the effects the chemical had on the nervous systems of insects, wondered...

Pastor Sprays Insecticide in Followers' Faces to 'Heal'

Government panel in South Africa investigating 'Prophet of Doom'

(Newser) - A South African pastor is under fire for his crazy-sounding manner of healing his flock: He sprays insecticide into their faces. Lethebo Rabalago, 24, of Mountzion General Assembly says spraying an insecticide called Doom on his followers can cure them of cancer, HIV, and other ailments. Known as the "...

SC Sprays for Zika, Kills Millions of Bees

Beekeepers in Dorchester County say they weren't warned

(Newser) - The plan was to kill droves of mosquitoes to combat West Nile and Zika in South Carolina. An unexpected result: millions of honeybees ended up dead, too. Officials in Dorchester County who approved Sunday's aerial spraying of an insecticide have apologized after beekeepers lost entire hives and their livelihoods....

Malaria Nets Can't Stop New 'Super Mosquito'

Insects created by interbreeding 2 Mali species survive exposure

(Newser) - For years, campaigns such as Nothing But Nets have been trying to control the scourge of malaria —a blood disease spread by mosquito bites—by sending insecticide-laced nets to hard-hit regions (mostly in Africa). But a University of California-Davis study has some bad news: Researchers have discovered a hybrid...

Waterways Now Less Crammed With Pesticides

Risk to humans drops, but aquatic life still in danger, especially in city waters

(Newser) - Carbon dioxide levels may be spiking , but there's one environmental irritant that looks to be partially on the decline: pesticides in our nation's waterways. More stringent regulations and the creation of more Earth-friendly products get some of the credit for this backslide, reports the New York Times , citing...

Free School Lunch Kills 22 Kids in India

Insecticides thought to be the cause

(Newser) - A horrible story out of India: At least 22 children between the ages of 8 and 12 are dead after eating a free school lunch yesterday; more than two dozen others were hospitalized after eating the rice, soybean and potato curry, which is believed to have been tainted with insecticides,...

As GMO Corn Weakens, Pesticides Are Back

Rootworms developing resistance to Monsanto gene

(Newser) - In 2003, Monsanto debuted corn seeds with a gene—Bt—that generates pest-killing toxins designed to resist the ravages of rootworm. Soil insecticide use cratered as a result, with only 9% of corn acreage nationwide treated with it in 2010, down from 25% in 2005. But then things started to...

Possible Malaria Weapon: Bug-Killing Paint

It could be a breakthrough against insect-borne diseases

(Newser) - A new paint that contains insecticide lasts longer than traditional bug-killing agents and is more effective in many circumstances, researchers say, making it a hopeful option for curbing insect-borne illnesses. It's already helped cut infestations of bugs like the vinchuca, which carries the often-fatal Chagas disease, in homes in...

Dozens Sickened Trying to Kill Bedbugs

CDC even reports one death over misguided use of pesticides

(Newser) - Don’t let the bedbugs bite—but if they do, don’t panic. While the creatures themselves aren’t known to cause much more than itching, the chemicals used to get rid of them have been linked to 111 illnesses and a death between 2003 and 2010, a CDC study...

Get Ready for Even More Stink Bugs

Scientists consider introducing Asian wasp to kill invading crop-destroyers

(Newser) - If your town is already overrun with stink bugs, bad news: There's little relief in sight. Last year, the non-native brown marmorated stink bug sunk its proboscis into the Mid-Atlantic apple crop, ruining $37 million of fruit; after that, they swarmed into local houses to hibernate. Now they've...

11 Stories