Pesticides are substances meant for attracting, seducing, and then destroying any pest. They are a class of biocide. The most common use of pesticides is as plant protection products (also known as crop protection products), which in general protect plants from damaging influences such as weeds, fungi, or insects. This use of pesticides is so common that the term pesticide is often treated as synonymous with plant protection product, although it is in fact a broader term, as pesticides are also used for non-agricultural purposes. The term pesticide includes all of the following: herbicide, insecticide, insect growth regulator, nematicide, termiticide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, predacide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, antimicrobial, fungicide, disinfectant (antimicrobial), and sanitizer.

In general, a pesticide is a chemical or biological agent (such as a virus, bacterium, antimicrobial, or disinfectant) that deters, incapacitates, kills, or otherwise discourages pests. Target pests can include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes (roundworms), and microbes that destroy property, cause nuisance, or spread disease, or are disease vectors. Although pesticides have benefits, some also have drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other species. According to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 9 of the 12 most dangerous and persistent organic chemicals are organochlorine pesticides.

What are the answers to this following set of questions:

1. what do pesticides do?
2. is using them unusual?
3. is it the same as plant protection?
4. how many types are there?
5. any negative effects?
6. what?
7. what are the most dangerous kinds?
8. what do they protect plants from?
9. what are 2 targets?
10. what problems do microbes cause?
11. what class are pesticides?
12. what are some things that hurt plants?
13. does pesticide always kill?
14. what else does it do?
15. what is another use for pesticide?

Numbered answers:
1. attracting, seducing, and then destroying any pest
2. no
3. yes
4. 18
5. yes
6. potential toxicity to humans and other species.
7. organochlorine pesticides.
8. pests.
9. insects and plant pathogens
10. destroy property
11. biocide
12. weeds, fungi, or insects
13. no
14. deters, incapacitates, kills, or otherwise discourages pests
15. non-agricultural purposes