1. Pest Control
Pests and pollinators

2. The Ideal Pesticide
The ideal pest-killing chemical has several qualities
Kill only target pest
Not coase genetic resistance in the target organism
Disappear or break down into harmless chemicals after doing its job
Be more cost-effective than doing nothing

3. Pests and Pollinators Pest Weed Pesticide
Organism that damages valuable crops
Weed
Any plant that competes with crops
Pesticide
Poisons that target pest organisms

4. Types of Pesticides Insecticides Herbicides Fungicides insects plants

5. Pesticides
$100 million kg (900 million lbs.) of pesticides are applied in the U.S. each year
75% agricultural land
Usage increased in developing countries

6. Rachel Carson Wrote Silent Spring
Introduces U.S. to dangers of pesticide
DDT

7. Resistance Some individuals are genetically immune to pesticides
They survive and pass these genes to their offspring
Pesticides stop being effective
Evolutionary arms race: chemicals increase chemical toxicity to compete with resistant pests

9. Biological control Biocontrol
Uses pest’s natural predators to control the pest
Reduces pest population without chemicals

10. Problems with Biocontrol
Unpredictable effect of an introduced species
“non-target” effect on the environment
Removing biocontrol is harder than halting pesticide use

11. Integrated Pest Management
IPM uses multiple techniques to suppress pests
Biocontrol
Chemicals
Population monitoring
Habitat alteration
Crop rotation and transgenic crops
Mechanical pest removal

12. Not all are pests Some insects are vital Pollination Pollinators
800 cultivated plant species rely on pollinators
Pollination
By wind or animals
Flowers are evolutionary adapted to attract pollinators
Pollinators
Hummingbirds
Bats
insects

13. Conservation Native populations of pollinators have plummeted
Honeybees pollinate more than 100 crops – 1/3 of the U.S. diet.
In 2006, hives died off
To conserve bees:
Reduce or eliminate pesticide use
Plant flowering plants