What type of pesticide is specifically designed to target snails and slugs?

The correct choice is molluscicide, which is a specific type of pesticide designed to control mollusks, such as snails and slugs. Molluscicides work by employing various active ingredients that are toxic to these creatures, effectively reducing their populations and mitigating damage to plants and crops that they might cause.

Understanding the role of molluscicides is crucial, particularly in agricultural and gardening contexts where snails and slugs can pose significant threats to plant health. These pests often feed on a wide variety of crops, leading to economic losses for farmers and frustration for gardeners.

In contrast, insecticides are formulated to target insects, herbicides are meant to kill unwanted plants or weeds, and rodenticides are used for controlling rodent populations. Therefore, the specificity of molluscicides for snails and slugs distinguishes them from these other categories of pesticides, making them the correct answer for this question.