Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County

Pest Management

Investigate Before You Invest in Any Pesticide

Deciding among the plenitude of pesticides on garden center shelves, all in colorful packages with large print promises, can be challenging. When buying a pesticide, you’re making an investment. And, as in making any purchase, you want to know what you’re investing in before you put your money down.

Oregon Dept of Agriculture_Pesticide Inspection_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
Investigate before deciding if, when, what, and how to use a pesticide.

Plan ahead before you buy
Are you sure you have a problem that a pesticide can solve? Have you identified the real cause? Weather can lead to some strange plant/environmental reactions, so make sure you have the correct problem identified. An insecticide won’t do you much good against a fungus! If you’ve experienced the problem in the past, investigate and exhaust alternative solutions before you start searching the pesticide shelves.

Read the label before you invest
The pesticide label is the contract between you and the product’s supplier. The label tells you what the product will do and what you must do to make it work effectively.

Like any legal document, the label must carry some words that have very specific meanings. On every pesticide label, you’ll find one of these three words in large, bold print: 

  • CAUTION: The product is slightly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled, or it causes slight eye or skin irritation.
  • WARNING: The pesticide is moderately toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled, or it causes moderate eye or skin irritation.
  • DANGER: This pesticide is highly toxic by at least one route of exposure. It may be corrosive, causing irreversible damage to the skin or eyes. Alternatively, it may be highly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, or inhaled. If this is the case, then “POISON” must also be included in red letters on the front panel of the product label.

    Malathion Directions_by Chris_Alberti_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
    Pesticide label tells what product does, explains how to use effectively, and gives warnings.

Be knowledgeable about product application

  • Will you need to mix the product with water or do you want to spend a little more for the convenience of a ready-to-use concoction?
  • What equipment will you need? Rubber gloves? A sprayer? Make sure your sprayer is in good working order by testing it with water on the driveway . . . not on valuable plants!
  • If you need to measure, make sure you have a measuring cup used only for pesticides! And rinse well after every use. Even a tinge of herbicide can work havoc with roses!
  • Refresh your memory and adhere to the contract uses of the product. What does it say about application under certain weather conditions—wind, temperature, precipitation? Does the product advise on use near water bodies or when pollinators are present?

Keep a pesticide inventory
Take a rainy afternoon to inventory your pesticide collection! Check the expiration dates and plan environmentally safe disposal of out-of-date pesticides. Maintain a pesticide usage record, including plants, problems, timing, and effectiveness. Your attention to up-front investigation and appropriate usage is a good investment, not only in any pesticide but also in your garden. 

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

Pesticide Use: Do You Need a License or Certificate?

Home gardeners do not need to have a license when using unrestricted pesticides—insecticides, fungicides, weed killers, and such that are sold to the public—in our own gardens. If we help someone else with these pesticides—with the property owner’s permission, of course—and if we do not get paid, then we don’t need a license. 

Caution!
Applying unrestricted-use pesticides for pay or as part of a job could require a license or certificate. If your neighbors pay you to apply a pesticide to their property, you may need a license. If you ask an employee to put pesticides down at a school or church where you are helping with a landscape, they may need credentials.

The Law
Cliff Ruth, Extension Area Agent Agriculture for Commercial Horticulture, sent out a checklist you can use to see if a license or certificate is indeed required in a given situation. To review it, click this link:
https://buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu/2016/11/do-you-need-a-pesticide-license-or-certificate/

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

Mosquito Control: Let’s Do Our Part

The press coverage of the campaign to arrest the spread of the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases is a reminder of a responsibility that we homeowners and gardeners have to our communities: namely, the control of mosquitoes on our homesteads.

Find standing water and eliminate breeding sites
The mosquito species in our area go through their breeding cycle, egg to maturity, in less than two weeks. So control boils down to frequently eliminating any standing water. And that may call for using your imagination, too! Not just dumping or covering unused pots, but discovering where else on the premises water accumulates. Even a hollow tree or temporary puddle can serve as a breeding ground. Look for potential breeding sites around the homestead—places like discarded tires, plant pots, tarps, rain gutters, or low spots in the yard. Empty or flush them out every few days. Don’t overlook the ordinary tasks like changing the water in bird baths almost daily. Besides, the birds will appreciate the fresh water!

What about rain barrels?
Some standing water, such as in rain barrels, may be a necessary part of the landscape. A piece of window screening over a rain barrel inlet can keep mosquitoes from entering in the first place. Screens can clog though and there may be other gaps where mosquitoes can enter. If they do get in, or perhaps as a precautionary measure, an NCSU newsletter suggests the same shock treatment used to decontaminate wells: one-half fluid ounce of bleach per gallon of water to suppress them. The chlorine, about 200 ppm, will dissipate within 48 hours, after which the water should be safe for plants.

Using biological or chemical controls
Another option would be one of the biological larva control products containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). Mosquito Dunks® or Mosquito Bits® are related to the bacterial pesticides commonly used in the garden against caterpillars. Read the label as you probably don’t need an entire wafer and one dose should least several weeks. The pesticide lies on top of the water, so to get full advantage of it don’t empty the barrel completely. Leave a couple of inches of water at the bottom. Do not use any chemical larvacide for this purpose unless the label states something like “will not affect plants, people, pets, or livestock.”

Incidentally, you’ll also see ads for mosquito traps that use radiant heat, sonic waves, or carbon dioxide. These can be moderately effective in luring mosquitoes, but they are expensive to buy and operate. Electric “bug zappers” are not effective as the majority of insects killed are actually beneficial in some form.

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Buncombe County Extension Office
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Helpline 828-255-5522

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