Pesticide Resistance and Public Policy

Abstract

n the euphoria following the early success of DDT, some insect control specialists speculated publicly that they might soon have nothing left to control. Others, however, warned that insects and other pests would become resistant to the arsenal of chemicals used against them. warnings may have seemed alarmist as long as pesticide companies continued to develop new chemicals rapidly, but discovery of new pesticides is becoming more difficult and much more costly: As one industry researcher put it, The easy chemistry has been used up. Thus, as pests continue to evolve resistance to existing chemicals, the development of replacement compounds is slowing. To protect crops, livestock, and public health from the damage and illness brought on by resistant pests, researchers are now developing resistance management, which seeks to prevent, delay, or reverse the evolution of resistance by a variety of chemical and ecological tactics. Indeed, because chemical pesticides are likely to continue as the mainstay of pest management technologies, resistance management may become the key to continuing effective pest control. Its success will depend on how