I feel like if this were true we would be seeing a major decline in the sales of pesticides, at least on consumer-level volume. Has anyone dug into those numbers?
Pesticide use is down 40% since 1992 but it's complicated by a number of factors. The biggest being the chemical formulas, concentrations and dosages have not stayed constant over time.
A lot of pesticide use on the consumer side comes from pest control companies where people have a recurring service that preemptively sprays the entire yard and house. The customer just sees that they don’t have bugs, and assumes it’s because the service is working.
For there to be a decline in sales, consumers would need to be purchasing products only in response to an infestation, but with such a service, they aren’t doing that. And the pest control company has no incentive to tell people “by the way, you can cancel the service now because everything is extinct”.
I’m talking about pest control services, not lawn (i.e. mowing) services. Depending on where you live, it’s legal to “treat” the entire lawn area preemptively, not just the areas within a few feet of the house.
Part of the sales pitch is also “if we treat all your neighbors, then all those bugs are going to come to your yard”. They really have no interest in just pest control; it’s a hard sell to sign up another customer.
Not sure this would hold true. The most efficient way to manage insects in a home (consumer) environment has nothing to do with pesticides.
For example: Ants are best managed caulking ingress points. Silverfish are best managed by reducing humidity. Bed bugs typically require professional fumigation. Flies & roaches by removing/storing food sources, etc.
> I feel like if this were true we would be seeing a major decline in the sales of pesticides, at least on consumer-level volume. Has anyone dug into those numbers?
I just don't see the causative link as the pesticides are used prophylacticly. Fewer insects would tend, IMO, to reinforce the behaviour, not reduce it.
