What type of chemicals mimic an insect's own hormones and interfere with their normal development?

The correct choice refers to chemicals known as growth regulators. These substances mimic hormones found in insects, specifically juvenile hormones and ecdysteroids, which are crucial for their development and life cycle. By introducing these mimicking chemicals, growth regulators can disrupt normal hormonal functions, leading to improper development, reproduction issues, or even mortality in the target insect population.

While growth inhibitors may seem related, they are typically compounds that specifically interfere with growth processes rather than directly mimicking hormonal actions. Insecticides generally address overall insect elimination through various means, including neurotoxicity or metabolic disruption, rather than targeting hormonal pathways. Repellents serve a different purpose by deterring insects from approaching or feeding, without interfering with their developmental processes. Therefore, growth regulators are specifically designed to mimic hormones, making them the correct answer for this question.