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Microwaving an insecticide restores its mosquito-killing power

Heating deltamethrin allows it to kill mosquitoes resistant to its usual form

A close up photo of a mosquito resting on a log.

Anopheles mosquitoes (one shown) spread malaria and are becoming increasingly resistant to insecticides. But scientists may have found a new way to get ahead of the pests: a microwave.

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By Tina Hesman Saey

- More than 2 years ago

Heating an insecticide can give it new life.

Microwaving the insecticide deltamethrin rearranges its crystal structure but doesn’t change its chemical composition.