Pyrethroids, Last Major Pesticide Development, Losing Punch Against Resurgent Mosquitoes

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But a decade of blanketing Africa with pyrethroids has fueled resistance to this front-line chemical weapon. Now pyrethroid-immune mosquitoes are spreading quickly throughout the continent.

“At some level, to really control the mosquitoes,” Artress says, “they’re going to have to do more.” What that “more” is, however, is uncertain. Because of a lack of research, no new chemicals for killing malaria-infected mosquitoes have emerged in more than 40 years.

Now pesticide companies and public health agencies are trying to develop low-toxic and inexpensive – yet powerful and long-lasting – new insecticides. Other researchers are working on novel approaches such as genetically modifying mosquitoes so they can’t harbor parasites.

It's likely to be years before new tools are widely available. In the meantime, health officials say, pyrethroid failure could trigger a malaria resurgence that kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. To fill the void, some are turning to “green” methods, such as botanical oils or other plants that keep mosquitoes away. Others are practicing mosquito birth control by draining ditches where they breed and stocking ponds with larvae-eating fish or larvae-killing bacteria.

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http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2013/malaria-control