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insecticides

Investigate Before You Invest in Any Pesticide

June 28, 2017

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.

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Categories Pesticides Tags fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides

Pesticide Use: Do You Need a License or Certificate?

December 5, 2016

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.

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Categories Pesticides Tags fungicide, herbicides, insecticides, pesticide certificate, pesticide license, pesticides, weed killers

A word about pesticides…

June 16, 2015

…with some words about systemicsimage
The number of different pestiicides on a garden center’s shelves can be overwhelming so here’s a very basic guide to making a choice.

First, of course, is to answer the question: “Is the damage severe enough that you really need to use a pesticide.” Perfect really isn’t natural, and it comes at a cost. If “yes”, be very sure that you’ve identified the culprit, the type of insect or disease that is damaging your plants, so you know which shelves you should search. Insecticides don’t do much to cure a fungal or nutritional problem. And an herbicide would eliminate the problem by killing the plant. The large print on the label gives you this information.

imageNow, put your glasses on. Just like a contract, you’ll need to read the fine print. Find a product that lists your problem on the label. Then try to determine how the material will be applied. Do you need a sprayer? This information may be on a part of the instructions that is folded or wrapped so that you can’t get to it without breaking some type of seal. In that case, ask! You want to be able to apply it when you get home.

Unless you have used the product before buy the smallest amount possible. See if it works. You don’t want too much as it’s best not to store a pesticide for any length of time.
Ready to use (RTU) versus the concentrated mix-it-yourself: With RTU you’re paying for convenience in not having to do the measuring and mixing, and in many cases the sprayer is provided.

Pesticides are also classified by mode of action. Some must contact the bug or fungus directly. Others need to be ingested by the insect. Or be repulsive. Systemics though are absorbed by the plant and actually get into the circulatory system of the plant. Glyphosate (as in Roundup) is a systemic weed killer. You need to use special care with such formulations.

Another very important example: Imidacloprid is a systemic insecticide that has been quite successful in controlling the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid as well as many other insects that chew on leaves and stems ornamental plants. Unfortunately that includes those that use imagepollen from buds and flowers including, most importantly our friends, the bees and other insects who carry that pollen home and feed it in some form to their young ones. Our farms and gardens will be in sorry shape without the pollinators. In fact we’re already approaching the critical point with those populations.

The North Carolina Agricultural Chemical Manual in a table labeled Relative Toxicity of Pesticides to Honey Bees lists imidacloprid along with other systemics under the heading of Group 1 Highly Toxic, warning that “Severe bee losses may be expected if these pesticides are used when bees are present and foraging in the flowers, or the product is applied near beehives.” The same warning is in the label.

Bottom Line: Read the label before you buy and again before you apply. And follow it when using any pesticide!

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

For more information:

Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Website
http://pesticidestewardship.org/Pages/default.aspx

Pesticide Use and Safety
http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/pesticide-use-and-safety-information.pdf

Disease & Insect Management in the Home Orchard
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantpath/extension/clinic/fact_sheets/index.php?do=disease&id=7

 

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Categories Pesticides Tags bees, fungicide, herbicides, honeybees, imidacloprid, insecticides, systemic, toxicity

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