What Are Pesticides
Pests are controlled in many different ways, but where chemicals are used in in amenity and home garden situations, the products are collectively called pesticides. Usually they are identified by the type of pest they control, so not only insecticides but also weedkillers (herbicides), fungicides, slug killers (molluscicides) and rodenticides are all examples of pesticides.
Pesticides are described in the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA) as any substance, preparation or organism prepared or used, among other uses, to protect plants or wood or other plant products from harmful organisms; to regulate the growth of plants; to give protection against harmful creatures; or to render such creatures harmless. The definition is therefore very broad and embraces not only herbicides, insecticides and fungicides but also growth regulators, rodenticides, soil sterilants, wood preservatives, bird and animal repellents and surface biocides. Also included are certain micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses, which are used for pest control.