Examples include spray oils that clog the respiratory mechanism of insects, petroleum oils that dissolve protective waxes on some insects and plants, or the bypyridylium herbicides that destroy the membranes of plant cells leading to their desiccation. Some petroleum oils can deter feeding or egglaying in some insects. Metabolic system inhibitors Metabolism is the transfer of energy within the cells of organisms, which is essential for the growth and survival of all living things. Sometimes a pesticide has to be metabolised into the toxic form before it becomes toxic to the target pest. This happens when the animal eats the bait containing the 1080.
Proteins are the basic building blocks of all cells.
Proteins such as enzymes control many important cell functions. Many pesticides aim to disrupt enzyme processes or denature proteins. Examples include inorganic copper compounds, dithiocarbamate fungicides, phosphono amino acid herbicides such as glyphosate, and organophosphate insecticides. Hormonal system interference Hormones are biochemical messengers that control many of the biological functions of organisms, including the growth and reproductive cycles. Several pesticides simulate or otherwise interfere with hormones to disrupt these cycles.