Pests can pose untold miseries to human kind if not checked timely. Some pests like locusts are known to have wiped out the entire food supply of some African countries in the past. Rats are no less destructive. Birds like parrots and their likes are destructive to fruit orchards. Some pests like mosquitoes are feared for their ability to transmit contagious diseases. Ticks and mites affect cattle to deadly results.



History tells us that even from the early stages of civilization; pest control measures have been given utmost importance. There are evidences that chemical pesticides were used even from 4500 BC. The last century saw a spurt in the development of different chemical compounds for pest control due to the increased need for food and good living conditions.

The readily acting, supremely efficient and highly toxic chemical pesticides were instrumental in making farming sector a profit making service. Food security of many countries was ensured by employing large scale pest management measures. Another added advantage chemical pesticides had over natural means was that a plethora of different pesticides were available for different kinds of pestilence.

However, a lot of negative side effects to the use of chemicals were noticed later. Chemical pesticides are not partial to any creature that comes up, and, friendly microorganisms and other creatures also got wiped out. Ecological balances of many regions altered for the worse. People living in their areas of use developed deadly diseases and disorders. Pesticide residue in the harvested produces has induced genetic and reproductive problems to human beings.

However, all these negative effects have not gone unnoticed by policy makers. Government funded researches to find out safer chemical fertilizers are taking place around the globe. Pesticide companies are also chipping in with their own efforts to find safer pesticides.

But whatever havoc they can wreak in the environment, chemical fertilizers are still the best bet for controlling pests over large, unenclosed areas. The combination of healthy farming practices and judicial use of pesticides can sustain the ecological balance of the world.