After years of assurance that genetically engineered (GE) crops are the answer to pesky pest problems, corn rootworm is now turning into a nightmare for America's agricultural biotech companies.

These insects have developed resistance to an inserted gene in the genetically altered corn crop that is designed to kill them.

In a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 22 of the nation's top experts on corn pests are calling for the agency to take action "with a sense of some urgency."i

The researchers want seed companies to stop routinely inserting anti-rootworm genes into their corn lines.

Overuse of the gene increases the chances that insects will become resistant to it.