Knowra Insecticide Insecticide An insecticide is a chemical substance or biological agent used to kill insects or prevent them from causing harm. It acts through routes such as ingestion, contact, or disruption of insect development.
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor : A substance that blocks acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides kill by allowing acetylcholine to accumulate at nerve junctions.
Integrated pest management : A pest-control strategy combining monitoring, biological, cultural, physical, and chemical methods to limit damage. It places insecticide use within a broader strategy and reserves it for justified cases.
Biological pest control : The use of living organisms or their products to suppress pest populations. It can replace or complement insecticides by using predators, parasites, or pathogens.
Insecticide resistance : The inherited ability of a pest population to survive doses of an insecticide that once controlled it. Repeated exposure selects resistant insects and can make previously effective products fail.
Pesticide : A substance or organism used to prevent, destroy, repel, or control pests. Insecticides are one target-specific class within the broader pesticide category.
Voltage-gated sodium channel : A membrane protein that initiates electrical signals by allowing sodium ions to cross a cell membrane. Pyrethroids disrupt these channels, causing persistent nerve firing and paralysis in insects.
Seed treatment : The application of protective substances to seeds before planting, often to control pests and diseases. Insecticidal seed coatings can protect seedlings while reducing some forms of broadcast application.
Mechanical pest control : Pest suppression through physical barriers, traps, removal, or other mechanical means. Unlike toxicants, mechanical methods control insects without poisoning them.
Pollinator decline : A reduction in the abundance or diversity of animals that pollinate flowering plants. Exposure to some insecticides can harm bees and other pollinators, depending on dose and route.
Insecticide mode of action : The biological process through which an insecticide produces its effect in a target organism. Mode-of-action groupings help explain toxicity and guide resistance-management choices.
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