Economic Entomology and Pest Management Take Home Final By James Smith 11 1.Explain how DDT and Nicotine Kills insects. Nicotine kills insects by interfering with the transmitter substance between nerves and muscles. DDT is an organochlorine pesticide. It kills insects by disrupting the nervous system. 2. Define the following: insect growth regulators, confusants, botanicals and repellants. Growth inhibitors or insect growth regulators (any of which is commonly known as an IGR) are products or materials that interrupt or inhibit the life cycle of a pest. By inhibiting the maturity of an insect, we keep it from reaching the critical adult stage, thus stopping the life cycle and infestation. Confusants, such as Pheromone traps are used to monitor for the presence of pests, and as control tools to capture insects. Also to disrupt insect mating. Botanicals are insect toxins that are derived or extracted from plants or plant parts. Repellants, An insect repellent is a substance applied to skin, clothing, or other surfaces which discourages insects from landing or climbing on that surface. 3. What factors can affect insecticide toxicity once it has been applied? Be sure to explain how the factor carries out the effect. Temperature, light, moisture, bacteria, pH, etc. all affect the pesticides in different ways and cause them to break down at varying rates. The point is, pesticide breakdown, thus half life, is dependent on many and varying factors when applied under normal use conditions. Some pesticides are more stable than others under the same conditions. Ultraviolet (UV) light is a very high source of energy, and it promotes the breakdown of many chemicals. Permethrin, Malathion, Carbofuran and other pesticides are broken down by light it is principally due to UV light. Temperature is another very significant factor in the breakdown of pesticides. Hydrolysis can take place in the bottle, bucket, drum, paper bag, or other container before the pesticide is ever...