Decline of pyrethroid resistance in the absence of selection pressure in a population of German cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae)

The level of resistance to seven pyrethroids was followed in a laboratory-selected population of Blattella germanica (L.) for 15 generations, during which time it was not exposed to any insecticide. As estimated by LT50 resistance ratios (RRs), resistance declined in a stepwise manner to preselection levels with all of the pyrethroids except pyrethrins. I also compared the levels of resistance as indicated by RRs and by gene frequency (GF) estimates. Results showed that GF estimates provide a more precise indication of the changes in resistance that occur over time than do RRs alone, especially when combined with RR and end-point mortality data. I discuss my results from the standpoints of the number of genetic mechanisms involved in pyrethroid resistance in this insect, and what the declines in resistance mean for future cockroach control.