What Are the Advantages of Using Chemicals to Kill Insects and Weeds?

Pesticide Pros

• A chief benefit of using chemicals to kill insects is that these chemicals essentially help prevent the outbreak of diseases that stem from pest infestations and rodents. Chemicals that kill insects typically are the only effective resources for getting rid of insects that cause diseases in particular situations. As a result, homeowners are able to produce many more crops than they otherwise would have been able to without using these products.

More Pesticide Pros

• Other benefits of using insect-killing chemicals is that these products stop insects that bother livestock and prevent insects from destroying the plants on which livestock feed. In regard to property structures, using chemicals to kill insects such as termites can prevent the ultimate destruction of multiple types of buildings featuring wood. Getting rid of exotic insects such as the Mediterranean fruit fly protects the nation's fruit and vegetable yields on farms, and safeguarding this aspect of the nation's economy.

Herbicide Advantages

• A major benefit of using chemicals that kill weeds is that weeds along ditches can cause water to be backed up, which can lead to flooding on properties. However, using weed killers helps to rid properties of this undesirable vegetation and keeps water flowing. Keeping traffic signs free of surrounding weeds and thus promoting public safety is an added benefit of using chemicals to kill weeds.

More Herbicide Advantages

• Weed killers also are advantageous because they choke out plants that compete with desirable plants for water and nutrients in the soil. For example, they kill plants such as the purple loosestrife, a weed that is present in wetlands and marshes. As a result, they can make any environment better, even an aquatic one, and thus stop invasive species from spreading. Destroying aquatic weeds using chemicals especially can make activities such as boating safer. Helping to rid the environment of poisonous plants also is an advantage of using chemicals to kill some types of weeds.