For instance, propoxur kills cockroaches and 2,4-D kills weeds. Each of those substances, if used improperly, can also be toxic to non-targeted animals such as honey bees and fish. Top of Page Damaging fertilizers as well as pesticides are used by many farmers as a part of the agriculture industry. The pesticide may settle into the soil, or stay on the crop, until it is washed by rain or irrigation into other water sources like ground-water, lakes, streams, rivers and oceans. In other words, wildlife and people become the concentrators of the pesticide because the chemicals do not pass out of their bodies but accumulate in their bodies over time.
Public pressure continues to force changes in the application and availability of pesticides.
For example, there is now growing interest in integrated pest management. This is an approach to agriculture that considers the entire farm and garden ecosystem. Integrated pest management can include using a pest's predator as well as other biological controls to reduce crop damage. Integrated pest management can also include the selective use of naturally-occurring and synthetic pesticides as well as habitat manipulations. One concern with this approach concerns possible introduction of non-native species.