Abstract
The use of pesticides in agriculture and other areas of human activity is interrelated with a major global issue of environment protection. This article analyzes domestic and international literature over a 20-year period. Biopesticides based on natural materials or their derivatives (microorganisms, vegetable oils, plant extracts, bacteria, and fungi) are of significant practical interest. The main advantages of biopesticides are demonstrated. The production of biological products is more cost-effective and technologically advanced than that of chemical products. Plants and microorganisms are the primary sources of biopesticides due to their high content of biologically active compounds and antimicrobial agents. Microbial pesticides constitute the largest group in the arsenal of modern biological products for plant protection. Compared to synthetic products, biopesticides are environmentally friendly and lack cumulative effects. They do not induce resistance in arthropods (therefore, eliminating the need for additional costs associated with constantly changing application technologies for new products). They are selective in action (they affect a specific range of pests rather than all organisms), and are highly cost-effective. One of the main advantages of bacterial, fungal, and viral biopesticides over chemically synthesized products is their species specificity. One drawback is the rapid degradation of the active ingredients, which significantly reduces the shelf life of the products. The global biopesticides market has demonstrated stable growth for many years. When creating biological preparations, bacteria of the genus Bacillus, various strains of the fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana are mainly used, which are highly effective in controlling the flies Musca domestica, Stomoxys calcitrans, mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles and the species Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex pipiens, the large wax moth (fire moth) Galleria mellonella and ixodid ticks of the genera Ixodes, Dermacentor and Rhipicephalus.