BACKGROUND: There is evidence from experimental hut and household studies that the entomological efficacy of long lasting pyrethroid treated nets (LLINs) is compromised in areas of pyrethroid resistance. The rapid increase in resistance intensity in African malaria vectors could further undermine the performance of these nets. The pyrethroid resistance intensity in Anopheles gambiae s.l. M'bé from central Côte d'Ivoire is reported to be high (> 1700 fold). Whether this translates into an increase in entomological indicators of malaria transmission needs investigation. METHOD: The efficacy of two long lasting insecticidal nets (LN) MiraNet and MagNet, both alpha-cypermethrin based was evaluated in experimental huts against pyrethroid resistant Anopheles gambiae in M'bé, central Côte d'Ivoire. All nets were deliberately holed to simulate wear-and-tear and were tested unwashed and after 20 standardized washes. RESULTS: The entry rates of An. gambiae s.l. into huts with insecticide treated nets were 62-84% lower than entry into huts with untreated nets (p < 0.001). Exit rates of An. gambiae s.l. with unwashed MiraNet and MagNet LNs were significantly greater than with untreated nets (50-60% vs 26%) and this effect after washing 20 times nets did not decrease. Blood-feeding with both nets was significantly inhibited relative to the untreated reference net (31-55%) (p < 0.001). Washing MiraNet LN 20 times had no significant impact on protection against An. gambiae s.l. bites but it did cause a significant fall by 40% in protection with MagNet LN (p < 0.001). All insecticide treated nets induced higher mortality of An. gambiae s.l. than the untreated net (p < 0.05). The impact though significant was limited (14-30%). The personal protection against An. gambiae s.l. bites derived from all treatments was high (75-90%). The overall insecticidal effect was compromised by pyrethroid resistance and was not detectable in some treatments. CONCLUSION: In this area of high pyrethroid resistance intensity (over 1700 fold), both MiraNet and MagNet LNs still conferred appreciable personal protection against mosquito bites despite inducing only slightly greater mortality of pyrethroid resistant Anopheles mosquitoes than untreated nets. The impact is comparable to moderately intense Benin resistance area (207 fold) and Burkina Faso (over 1000 fold). This preserved level of protection plus the small but sensitive killing of mosquitoes may continue to impact vectorial capacity despite high intensity of resistance. Nevertheless, there is an obvious need for strategies and nets with novel mode of action to enhance vector control.