Advantages And Disadvantages Of Microbial Insecticides

10. How might insects develop a resistance to Bt toxins? What ecological risks would this have? What could be done to combat this, and do you think that it would be effective?

The relevant factors in this decision involve looking at the potential advantages of an IGR (insect growth regulator) over the traditional adulticide products currently in the market. With toxicity and safety concerns of these types of products being top of mind for many consumers, the newer IGR products should bring welcome benefits to end consumers using the product on a regular basis.

The gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is a highly disruptive species that can, and has played a distinctive role in the lives of many organisms. Included in these organisms are various deciduous trees and shrubs, wildlife species that share the same environment, and even humans. The gypsy moth destroys the beauty of woodlands via defoliation, alters ecosystems and wildlife habitats, and disrupts our own lives. It should therefore come as no surprise that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and many other agencies have taken huge steps to help diminish populations of this small, yet persistent species. In an effort to control these overwhelming populations, five chemical control agents have

Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) (Winter 1992). Malathion Insecticide Factsheet. Journal of Pesticide Reform 12(4). Retrieved May 4, 2008, from

Neonicotinoids are most commonly used insecticide in the U.S. They are also an insecticide that kills bees. The insecticides are applied to seeds before they are planted. They stay with the the plant as they grow.

Although there have been improvements in the safety of fungicides, many still contain potentially dangerous compounds. Although commercial mercury has been replaced in fungicides, "the possibility of exposure to environmental sources of organic methylmercury still exists," which can negatively impact upon human health, such as when fish that have accumulated the toxin within their body are consumed (Hasan 2010: 358). Because fungicides are often used in combinations with other chemicals, the toxicity of the fungicide may be unexpectedly high (Hasan 2010: 358). For example, "recommended field application rates of Propiconazole are considered too low to kill a substantial number of bees, but when mixed with

Pesticides are widely used by farmers in order to keep bugs from eating their crops however, pesticides also hurt insects, such as bees, that help pollinate their crops (book). My solution to this problem would be to use the foliars approach when applying pesticides and eliminate chemicals in pesticides that are especially toxic to bees (US Environmental Protection Agency). The foliars approach applies the pesticide directly to the plant instead of spraying vastly over the crops (US Environmental Protection Agency). This protects the bees by

In the early 1940’s, a new technology emerged that was able to successfully combat crop-damaging and disease-carrying insects. A new age of synthetic chemical pesticides use arose. After their impressive success in fighting deadly insect-borne diseases during World War II, pesticides were used widely to combat insect pests for agriculture and public health. Few people challenged the benefits of the new scientific and technological products and many embraced pesticide use with enthusiasm. Despite its success, doubts about pesticide use began to appear a decade later in the 1950’s, when the government began a vigorous pesticide campaign across the country against insect pests. Scientists began reporting heavy losses of avian and

However, pesticides are used to control pests, which include insects, mice and other animals, unwanted plants (weeds), fungi, or microorganisms like bacteria and viruses. Often misunderstood to refer only to the insecticides, the term pesticide also applies to herbicides (that control weeds), fungicides (that control fungi), and substances used to control other pests. In addition, because many pests tend to travel between farms, resistance to pesticides can evolve at an inefficient rate. Farmers can increase the economic efficiency of chemical use by adapting integrated pest and resistance management practices, such as rotating crops and pesticides, reducing reliance on a single pesticide, adjusting planting and harvesting dates, scouting fields, and using more benign, and biological control

Carson clarifies that “the sprays, dust, and aerosols are now applied almost universally to farms, gardens, forests, and homes-nonselective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect, the “good” and the “bad”.” In contemporary world today many people use these mankind chemicals without understanding the effects of nature. For example, the reproduction of bees are dropping traumatically because of the pesticides effects on the insects. According to CNN “How Pesticides are killing the bees “Recent data published in science, Nature and other un journals show that bees are dying from some pesticides that are found in our food supply.” The damaged the chemicals are doing to the bees have worries many scientists. The New York Times wrote, pesticide linked to honeybee deaths, “a group of pesticide believed to contribute to mass deaths of honeybees.” Another example of the harmful chemicals affecting the good insects are by destroying favorable insects such as lady bugs and butterflies, which are another great alternative way to pollinate flower. These beneficial insects are very important for human wellbeing; therefore, we should minimize the use of

For the study, local beekeepers worked with researchers at Louisiana University and the United States Department of Agriculture. Parts of the study were conducted in the field and in the laboratory. Researchers used the insecticides commonly used against mosquitoes to find out what level of the insecticides would become toxic. Field tests were done through a truck spraying fields with mosquito repellent. Cages of bees and mosquitoes were placed in the fields at different distances to see the effect.

Genetically modified crops are being developed to produce their own pesticide. This will bring the rapid appearance of resistant insects. Even worse, these pesticide producing plants have killed some beneficial insects and pests that many farmers use in their crops. For example, inserting a gene from a snowdrop, a perennial herb found in Europe and Asia into a potato, made the potato resistant to the green fly, but killed lady bugs that feed on green flies.

I think we should definitely use insecticides to try and get rid of all the insects that can be

Although there are various pest control products you can use, they are harmful to your health.

Pesticides were designed to kill bothersome insects. However, sometimes these pesticides will stop working. A pesticide that has worked in the past may no longer kill a particular type of insect. This is due to the development of resistance in the population of insects. The development of resistance to pesticides is one example of microevolution, a small change in a population.