ABSTRACT
The practical application of chemical control agents came in the 1880s with the use of the arsenic-based mixture 'Paris green' for agricultural insect control and the mixture of copper sulfate and hydrated lime ('Bordeaux mixture') to control fungi. The continued presence of insects or other animals in the living space is rarely tolerated for very long before some attempt is made to remove the intruder, dead or alive. The specific use of road dust and fine silt from river beds to control insect pests in stored grain may have begun with early Egyptian societies. The role of insects as disease vectors was slow to develop and the significance of insects and other arthropods as vectors was not fully appreciated until the 1890s. The economics of insecticide discovery and development dictated that an agricultural use be the first priority. There are three general strategies for consumer-based insect control in the household environment: active elimination, active control and passive control.
