What Are PesticidesWhat Are Pesticides
Pesticides are chemical compounds or biological agents that control pests.
The word pesticides contains the element "-cide" that was borrowed from Latin and means "killer" or "killing". Pests include insects, mites, worms, fish, birds, animals, weeds, fungi, bacteria and viruses. Pests feed on crops and parasitize on livestock.
Pesticides are classified by target pests, chemical structure, physical state and application methods. They include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, rodenticides, and antimicrobials.
What are pesticides, their actions and applications?
Pesticides control pests physically, chemically or biologically interfering with pest metabolism and behavior. Methods of application for pesticides are spraying, disinfecting and luring.
Why people cannot do without pesticides?
Pesticides are used in farms, gardens, and households. Pests destroy about a half of food supplies in the world. Without pesticides the food losses could be even more significant. Pesticides increase work productivity, profits, and export incomes.
What are pesticides in agriculture?
Farmers and gardeners use chemicals to control pests and protect crops. Many pesticides are toxic and dangerous for health if used improperly. However, pesticide ban may aggravate hunger in the world, increase food prices and unemployment.
Natural replacement for chemical pesticides
Relatively harmless biological pesticides come from plants, bacteria, animals, and minerals. Microbial pesticides kill or compete with pests. Pesticides from plants such as neem oil, pyrethrins, and nicotine interrupt the pest life cycles. The mineral diatomaceous earth effectively kills the insects.
About Pesticides
Cancer Pesticide
Is cancer pesticide a reality?
Unfortunately the notion of cancer pesticide is a sad reality. Pesticides are extensively used in agriculture and there are justified concerns that they can increase the cancer risks. Therefore a cancer pesticide or even several cancer pesticides do really exist. About 1.5 million new cancer cases are identified in the United States every year.
Pesticide Birth Defects
What are pesticide birth defects?
Pesticide birth defects are aberrations that result in physical and mental disorders. Pregnant women must remember about the situations that can lead to pesticide exposure. Pesticide birth defects appear as a result of exposures in agriculture, gardening, and homes. Scientists affirm that in some cases pesticides increase the likelihoods of pesticide natal defects up to 450 %.
Pesticide Spraying
Pesticide spraying today
The pesticide spraying is stipulated by numerous laws of good practice and legislative requirements which are some of the most rigorous in the world.
Observance of these legislative regulations is mandatory taking into account protective measures as well as economic prerequisites and considerations.
Natural Pesticides
Time and way of modern life makes farmers recur to natural pesticides. The case is that classical pesticides can produce negative effects on plants, animals, and humans. Natural pesticides may be no less powerful than classical ones, but they are significantly less toxic. Pesticides of natural origin are an inseparable part of serious gardening. Almost any natural pesticide is cheaper and safer than classical chemicals.