New stories of an old pest: Two possible insecticide resistance mechanisms in the southern chinch bug

The southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis, is a destructive insect pest of St. Augustinegrass

 and is notorious for its ability to develop resistance against major insecticide classes. Symbiotic

 bacteria in the genus Burkholderia have recently been found in the gastric caeca of B. insularis

 nymphs and adults. Some Burkholderia species can degrade xenobiotic compounds like

 insecticides. So, using B. insularis as a model system, we sought to determine if bacterial

 symbionts were mediating the observed bifenthrin resistance. We also investigated whether any

 detoxification enzyme (cytochrome P450 monoxygenases, Glutathione-S-transferases, esterases)

 activity in B. insularis could be a potential biochemical mechanism of insecticide resistance.