Science Past from the issue of December 5, 1959

INSECTS WINNING RESISTANCE BATTLE — Insects appear to be winning the costly battle — $500,000 is spent each year on control — to keep them in check. Resistance to insecticides is now virtually nation-wide according to results of an extensive study.… Resistance can take many forms, research has shown. Some of these are: slow rate of absorption which prevents the insect’s getting a lethal dose of insecticide … or, avoidance of the insecticide such as is seen by some insects changing their normal habitat. The chemical industry, which produced some 575,000,000 pounds of pesticides in 1958, is constantly attempting to develop effective new insecticides and devise stronger formulations.