The “FORD DVM-0039-MA Insect repellent resistance” standard developed by Ford Motor Company (FORD) describes a procedure for determining the resistance properties of insect repellents used in vehicles.
Insect repellent resistance is an inherited genetic trait that alters the biochemistry and physiology of a pest, allowing it to survive toxic chemicals.
Insecticide resistance is a major and growing problem for the control of mosquito disease vectors. Despite significant progress in the molecular elucidation of resistance mechanisms and the development of diagnostic tools, their impact on disease control programs has been limited.
In most cases, diagnostic tools provide a retrospective review of changes imposed by insecticides rather than a prospective analysis to guide vector control strategies.
Low-tech, easy-to-use and interpret technologies and modern databases linked to decision support platforms are needed. The distribution of new pesticides, as in agriculture and medicine, requires robust resistance diagnostics for decision making.
Insecticide resistance is one of the most significant barriers to long-term sustainability in chemical control of insect pests. The evolution of insecticide resistance is characterized by a decrease in the susceptibility of a population to a toxin due to field exposure.
Insecticide resistance is a recent phenomenon, emerging only after the chemicals were widely adopted by pest control practitioners since the mid-20th century. Despite the repeated failures of new insecticide chemicals, there is still no clear understanding of how herbivorous insects are able to rapidly adapt to insecticides.
Insect resistance is defined by the World Health Organization as the development of the ability of an organism to tolerate a toxic substance at doses that would be lethal to the majority of individuals in the normal population of the species.
Although the additives in insect repellents are quite stable and can last a long time, it is generally recommended to throw away the insect repellent after three years. This is mostly because it has lost its effectiveness.
Repeated use of the same pesticide class to control a pest can cause undesirable changes in the pest's gene pool, leading to pesticide resistance, another form of artificial selection.
When an insect repellent is first used, a small fraction of the pest population may survive exposure to the substance due to their differing genetic makeup. These individuals pass on their resistance genes to the next generation. Subsequent uses of the insect repellent increase the proportion of less susceptible individuals in the population. Through this selection process, the population gradually develops resistance to the insecticide. Worldwide, more than 500 species of insects, mites, and spiders have developed some degree of insect repellent resistance. As a result, an insect repellent that was once effective may no longer be able to control a resistant population.
Among the numerous tests, measurements, analyses and evaluation studies carried out for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides testing services defined in the “FORD DVM-0039-MA Insect repellent resistance” standard with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.
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