Epsilon Open Archive

Abstract

This introductory paper focuses on pesticides; use, regulation, impact on nature, economics, and interactions with pests, non target organisms as well as society in the periurban environment and with an international context. With an increasingly skeptical society to pesticides it is important that scientists and non-specialists (farmers and neighbours) meet and discuss their ideas about insecticide use and risks. This is necessary because the public’s perception of risks may well diverge significantly from that of specialists. In the periurban areas (the urban fringe) these problems and divergent opinions are likely to be more pronounced than in the rural areas. This review paper is also discussing the insect pest migrations and trap cropping with a view to find out whether insecticide application in field crops (e.g. oilseed rape) affects pest density in the adjacent garden crops (e.g. radish).