The Entomological Society of America (ESA) advocates the following positions regarding the use of insecticides for agriculture and public health.

Protecting People and the Environment are of Paramount Importance

Insect control practices must not be detrimental to the general public, farmers, farm workers, and insect control practitioners. Also, the public must be protected from the harm insect pests inflict. The goal is to meet human needs for safe, inexpensive, and abundant food and fiber and healthy lives with the least risk to human safety and the environment. Thus, the costs of using insecticides to protect food, fiber, and health must be weighed against the costs of not using insecticides. The public must be provided with abundant, affordable food and fiber, and be protected from insect-transmitted pathogens, without causing environmental problems or illnesses attributed to insecticide use.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Insecticides

When used according to label instructions and when economic thresholds are exceeded, insecticides can be beneficial to agricultural producers and the general public. Insecticides have a history of successfully protecting human food and health, and may provide the only quick, reliable, and cost-effective control of pest outbreaks. Hence, insecticides may still be necessary for optimal IPM. Obtaining these benefits while minimizing the risks associated with insecticide use may be achieved by: (1) studying and implementing alternate control practices, that, through IPM, reduce the need for preventive remedial action using insecticides, and (2) developing insect-control agents that do not injure people or the environment.

Enhancement and Promotion of IPM

Entomologists must continue to develop pest management systems that utilize preventative, non-chemical control practices that minimize the need for the use of insecticides. Researchers should identify and understand factors that regulate insect populations and then develop strategies to manage or supplement these factors to prevent insect pest populations from reaching damaging levels. Legislation and regulations affect the adoption of alternative pest management practices. Government commodity programs, marketing orders, grade standards, and registration procedures for biological control agents, genetically engineered organisms, and selective insecticides should be structured to encourage the use of IPM practices, including economic thresholds. Implementation of improved pest management systems will reduce future needs for insecticides, but insecticides will probably remain a component of insect management programs for the foreseeable future.

Preservation and Improvement on Insect Control Agents

When insect pests are injurious to human food and fiber or health and insecticides must be used, the impact of the insecticides on the pest must be optimized while any undesirable effects must be minimized. ESA endorses the development of new insecticides that are safe, selective in their effect, environmentally compatible, and cost effective. ESA also supports practices that preserve the effectiveness of currently useful insecticides by reducing the risk of insecticide resistance in pests. IPM practices should complement resistance management. Rigorous testing of current and new insecticides is required to identify hazards to human safety or the environment. Only those insect control agents that present acceptable risks while providing significant benefits should be approved for use.

Regulation of Insecticides Must be Based on Scientific Evidence

Legislators, regulators, and the public need accurate information on issues such as safety, risk and benefit assessment, insect management alternatives, environmental impacts, and the responsible use of insecticides. All of these are related to the use of insecticides in agricultural, urban, and public health arenas. Recognized and well-documented scientific procedures must provide the basis for regulatory decisions. Professional entomologists must play a leading role in this and in educating the public on the risks and benefits of insecticide use.

Scientists must develop alternative insect management practices and provide information to help judge the relative risks and benefits of insecticide use. In addition, there must be programs to extend this information to those who would apply it. Those responsible for making pest management recommendations, including proper selection and use of insecticides, should be trained and certified. It is only through a well-informed public that valid actions can be taken to maintain our current quality of health, food, and fiber.