Insecticides and Wildlife (ENY511/IN881)

Figure 7. Some birds are nearly wholly dependent on insect life for food. Note the unusual ‘whiskers’ near the beak of this Chuck-will's-widow, Caprimulgus carolinensis. These structures cause insects to be directed to the mouth while the birds sweep through the air in pursuit of ‘dinner’.When we use chemical insecticides to eliminate problem insects we discover that the effects of insecticides are not always limited to these 6-legged targets. Wildlife, pets, and humans also can be affected by insecticides. So one of the great challenges confronting humans is to develop ways to manage insects without affecting non-target organisms. Learn more in this 16-page fact sheet written by John L. Capinera, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, October 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in881