Spraying pesticides can help plants grow by killing pests

Feedback processes might seem counterintuitive because many of us are used to more predictable linear scenarios of cause and effect. For instance, it seems simple enough that spraying pesticides would help plants grow by killing pest insects, but it may trigger a host of other unexpected reactions. For example, if spraying pushes down the insect population, its predators will have less food. As their population dips, the reduced predation would allow the insect population to rise,
counteracting the effects of our pesticides.