Herbicides and pesticides – what's the difference? - Weedingtech NZ

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Despite what you might think, the difference between herbicides and pesticides isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Herbicides are actually a type of pesticide, and so they technically aren’t different at all.

Keep reading to find out more about the relationship between herbicides, pesticides, and alternative methods of weed control - like Foamstream.

What is a pesticide?

Pesticides are used to eliminate pests by either killing or poisoning their target. We consider certain things to be pests if they infringe on our access to food, spread disease, harm the environment, or cause damage to our property. 

The term ‘pests’ can refer to insects, mammals, weeds, birds, microorganisms, and these are just to name a few. In order to eliminate these pests, various types of pesticides are used, some of which are as follows: 

  • Herbicides - a weed killer that is toxic to plants
  • Rodenticides - used to eliminate rodents
  • Insecticides - a method for poisoning insects

What is a herbicide?

Herbicides are a type of pesticide that specifically targets weeds and other unwanted plants. They fall into one of two categories:

  1. Selective herbicides - kills only one sort of plant in an area that contains several plant varieties. For example, a selective herbicide labelled for control of weeds in lawns will kill broadleaf weeds, dandelions, thistles, but will not kill grass.
  2. Non-selective herbicides - kills all plants in the area where it is applied. Unlike selective herbicides, non-selective herbicides can’t distinguish between species, and so will kill any plant or weed it comes into contact with. 

For more information on the effects of herbicides, have a look at our glyphosate vs Foamstream blog or head over to our page about the benefits of using herbicide-free weed control.

Are there alternatives to herbicides?

In a word, yes. There are many alternatives to herbicides, with Foamstream being the leading herbicide-free solution for controlling unwanted vegetation. Its environmentally safe biodegradable foam makes it the perfect herbicide-free solution for weed control. It also has a number of applications aside from weed control, making it a highly effective, all-round, green and urban space management system.

Contact Weedingtech

If you want more advice on how to control your weeds in an environmentally friendly non-toxic way, get in touch with Weedingtech today.

Arte you interested in finding out more about alternatives to herbicides?

Read our ebook on Alternatives Methods of Weed Control - What's the Difference?

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