Relating to or causing the killing of adult insects or organisms, especially in pest control.
From Latin 'adultus' (adult) + '-cidal' (from 'caedere,' to kill). A technical term used primarily in entomology and pest management science.
Insecticides are carefully classified as 'adulticidal' (killing adults) versus 'larvicidal' (killing larvae) because these life stages require completely different approaches—mosquito control programs often target larvae in water rather than flying adults.
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