CBD shows promise as pesticide for mosquitoes

There may be a new way to kill disease-carrying mosquitoes. The insects die when they are exposed to cannabidiol (CBD) – a chemical produced by cannabis plants. What’s more, the chemical is lethal even in mosquitoes that have genetic resistance to standard pesticides.

Mosquitoes can carry pathogens responsible for diseases including malaria, dengue fever and zika. Some of the insects are also becoming resistant to the insecticides used against them. But Erick Martinez Rodriguez and Peter Piermarini at the Ohio State University and their colleagues may have a solution.