Researching, testing, and the producing of newer Pesticides usually leads to very high expenditure, at the expense of the consumer. Biological Pest Control is a very economical method, and cost effective.
Cost effective also in the sense that Biological Control is a permanent, self-sustaining method of managing Pests, once established, Biological Control exerts long term control over the target pest without further input.
There is little chance of placing danger on the environment and the water quality with Biological control, as Pesticides can leech into water and soil having profoundly unknown effects upon its surrounding.
However Biological Control does have some draw-backs it take time for the organism to establish, therefore there’s a short time lapse between introducing the organism and any significant difference in the numbers of pests, however Pesticides act very quickly.
Biological control requires planning and monitoring and good knowledge of the biology of both the pest and the enemy.
Biological control sometimes has 100% success rate, which is not always beneficial as wiping away a whole population of native pests, may also prove to disturb the Food Web, because the organism will also then become extinct itself according to Biological Review Volume 13 No 3 Jan 2001.
A famous example of the use of Biological control is that of the Ladybirds appetite for aphids, they are regarded as beneficial insects for controlling a variety of plant pests.
A pesticide is a substance intended for preventing, destroying repelling or mitigating a pest. Pests can be insects, mice and other animals, unwanted plant, fungi, micro-organisms like bacteria and virus, as well as insects. The term pesticide includes herbicides, which kill weeds, fungicides target fungi that cause many plant diseases, and insecticides, used to combat insect pests.
The few benefits of Pesticides are that they are specific to an organism so humans and beneficial organisms go unaffected by the use of pesticides.
Pesticides are biodegradable, this means it will break down quickly in the soil, and it’s chemically stable so it has a long shelf life.
Pesticides start to work immediately once applied.
Pesticides have to pass stringent safety tests before they can be applied, according to Biological Review Volume 10 and Number 2 November 1997.
However the negative impact of Pesticides largely overpower the positive effects.
Pesticides are known to be damaging to the environment, by leeches into rivers and our water supplies.
Pests become resistant to Pesticides, which means that the pest remain a problem however the environment and surrounding life is irreversibly damaged; because once chemicals are applied they remain in the environment.
The long term effect of pests are largely unknown according to an article in The Observer called Pesticides ‘making half a million ill’ by Tracy Mcveigh written on the 19th of September 1999.
Exposure of Pesticides in food and atmosphere has been proved to be fatal, here are only some of the dangers linked with the use of Pesticides, Cancer Chronic fatigue syndrome, immune deficiency, lung and nerve damage Asthma and Hay Fever can all be traced back to Pesticides.
Expenditure for Pesticides is uneconomical in the long term, as Pesticides only work for a limited amount of time, before resistance requires upgrading Pesticides.
The highly controversial Pesticide Fenthion is one of the most dangerous bird-killing pesticides in use in this country,” according to this news article on the Internet .
A famous example of the use of a pesticide is that of DDT. Malaria is a potentially fatal disease, so DDT was developed as a Pesticide. However DDT killed many insects, later it was found that DDT Bioaccumulated and travelled up the food web and was not only toxic to humans, but also that insects were breeding generations that were immune to the Pesticide. As stated by Chemistry In The Market Place 4th Edition, by Ben selinger.
In conclusion the use of Pesticides is highly unethical for society, not only for the well being of humanity but all living species. The long-term damage done is far worse then the short-term benefits, economically, environmentally and socially. It is irresponsible to design pesticides which are fatal to the entirety of the natural world for the sake of making a profit. Scientific research should be used in order to find alternative methodology in Pest Control rather than developing new Pesticides. Therefore it is my opinion that Biological pest Control is far more advantageous than the use of Chemical Pesticides. In the future if Pesticides continue to have the same effect as they do today on the environment then Pesticides should either be banned or have stricter regulations imposed, as there is an alternative available, which is just as effective; Biological pest Control.
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ISB- o-340-78167-X
Date Published – 2000
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Pesticides ‘making half a million ill’
Tracy Mcveigh
Sunday September 19th 1999
The Observer
