Chemical controls or more commonly called insecticides are products designed to kill or manage insects by affecting their behavior or growth such as repellents, insect growth regulators, and plant growth regulators.
The selection of a particular insecticides depends on the situation, the insect and the ingredients in a particular insecticide formulation.
Insecticides can affect insect eggs, the larvae and some treat the adult insect. Some are classified as stomach poisons that are ingested into the insect's digestive system, others are contact poisons that kill through absorption, and others are respiratory poison which is inhaled.
Most insecticides are not 100% toxicant. They usually contain two or more components. The most common are the active ingredients, the inert ingredients and sometimes a synergist.
The active ingredient is the component that kills or affects the insect's behavior. The inert ingredients are non-toxic and are used to dissolve the active ingredients and provide a base or carrier for the active ingredients.
