Characterization of insecticide resistance and their mechanisms in field populations of the German cockroach (Blattodea: Ectobiidae) in Taiwan under different treatment regimes

Abstract

This study investigated how management strategies influence resistance profiles in German cockroach (Blattella germanica (L.)) populations and their impact on the performance of commercial gel baits containing fipronil, imidacloprid, and indoxacarb. Field populations from premises managed under 3 different strategies: Baiting, random insecticide (RI) used, and insecticide rotation (IR) were tested. Almost all populations under RI and IR were resistant to deltamethrin, but low to moderate resistance was observed under the Baiting approach. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450) were involved in deltamethrin resistance in these resistant populations. All individuals under Baiting and RI were homozygous for the L993F mutation, but the populations under IR lacked homozygous-resistant individuals. Eighty-three percent of field populations with complete homozygosity for the Rdl mutation displayed low mortality upon exposure to 3× LD95 fipronil. The effect of P450 and the Rdl mutation conferred high fipronil resistance in populations under the Baiting approach, recording moderate performance indices (PI) of 44–67 in fipronil bait. By contrast, those populations under RI and IR, in which involve glutathione S-transferases in fipronil resistance, had high PIs of 78–93. Almost 80% of populations exhibited over 90% mortality at 3× LD95 indoxacarb treatment, accompanied by high PIs of 90–100 in indoxacarb bait. Partial mortality from 1× LD95 imidacloprid occurred across all field populations due to the involvement of P450. PIs of imidacloprid bait ranged 5–57 and 20–94 in populations under RI and IR, respectively. Field populations demonstrate different resistance profiles depending on the treatment regimes, and the resistance mechanisms involved influenced gel bait’s effectiveness.