Question

Apple farmers are currently having a very difficult time with pesticide-resistant insects. These insects are no longer being killed by the current chemical treatments, thus causing a lot of damage to the apple crops. In reaction to this, researchers are developing newer and stronger chemicals to help control the bugs. Why are the apple farmers seeing these new, stronger bugs?

Answer 1

The farmers are seeing stronger bugs because not all bugs die to the amount of pesticide. Some areas are not spreaded evenly or some bugs are more resistant genetically. The ones that are not killed by the pesticide reproduce and pass that trait onto other bugs. One into ten, ten into hundred, etc. This makes the current pestcide useless and the need to find a stronger or different pesticide. This is why some farmers rotate crops and pestcide used.

Answer 2

The right answer is that a strongest bugs were able to survive pesticides, reproduce and create more resistant pests.

Pesticide resistance is a hereditary trait that gives an organism the ability to survive pesticide application at lethal doses for most individuals of the same species.

This resistance, manifested by the absence of inhibition, or reduced inhibition, of the development of a population of pests, may be natural or acquired.

* It is natural if the phenomenon is observed from the first application of a pesticide.

* It is called "acquired" if the phenomenon is observed only after several applications of a pesticide, as a result of the selection over several generations of naturally resistant individuals.

Harmful species develop resistance to pesticides through natural selection: the most resistant specimens survive and transmit their genetic traits to their offspring.