Chapter Six: Pesticide Use and Safety and IPM

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Chapter Six Pesticide Use and Safety and IPM

• Renee Hypes, IPM Technician Colonial Williamsburg
  Foundation

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Pest

• What is a pest?
• For the purposes of pesticide application, there
  is a legal definition of pest.
• "Pest" means any deleterious organism that is
  (i) any vertebrate animal other than man (ii)
  any invertebrate animal excluding any internal
  parasite of living man or other living animals
  (iii) any plant growing where not wanted, and any
  plant part such as a root or (iv) any bacterium,
  virus, or other microorganisms (except for those
  on or in living man or other living animals and
  those on or in processed food or processed animal
  feed, beverages, drugs as defined by the Federal
  Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and cosmetics as
  defined by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
  Act. Any organism protected under federal or
  state laws shall not be deemed a pest for the
  purposes of this chapter.

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Pest

• And because there is a legal definition of pest,
  there also is a legal definition of pesticide.
• "Pesticide" means (i) any substance or mixture
  of substances intended for preventing,
  destroying, repelling, or mitigating any insects,
  rodents, fungi, bacteria, weeds, other forms of
  plant or animal life, bacterium, or viruses,
  except viruses on or in living man or other
  animals, which the Commissioner shall declare to
  be a pest (ii) any substance or mixture of
  substances intended for use as a plant regulator,
  defoliant, or desiccant and (iii) any substance
  intended to become an active ingredient in any
  substance defined in clause (i) and (ii).

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Pest Management and Decision-Making

• This is where IPM comes in, which we will talk
  about in more depth later.
• The book poses excellent questions to facilitate
  decision-making in terms of pests.
• Is the problem actually caused by a pest?
• What kind of pest?
• Is the problem severe enough to require action?
• Can the pest be controlled at this stage of
  life/growth?
• Are pesticides registered for the pest and site?
• Is pesticide use the best management option?
• Is pesticide use cost-effective?

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Pest Management and Decision-Making

• If there is a problem that requires action, there
  are factors that will help with what action to
  take
• Pest life cycle and habits
• Pest population size and distribution
• Factors that attracted pest to site
• Management options
• Ways to prevent future problems

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Safe Use Precautions

• If you decide to use a pesticide, the label must
  be followed.
• In place of specific instructions on the label,
  always use common sense.
• Before your trip to Lowes, Ace or Cookes, be
  sure of your pest.
• Consult a knowledgeable friend, extension agent
  or knowledgeable garden center employee.

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Safe Use Precautions

• Be as close to 100 positive as possible on what
  youre trying to control.
• Misidentification will waste time, money and
  effort.
• Also, unnecessary exposure of pesticide to
  yourself and the environment will result.

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Safe Use Precautions

• Read labels carefully and make sure you
  understand it
• If you have questions ask someone at the store or
  call an extension agent for advice
• Before leaving make sure you have all of the
  necessary equipment including PPE
• Make sure the product is labeled not only for the
  target pest but also the site

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Safe Use Precautions

• The book also recommends not buying pesticides
  intended for professional use.
• Professional pesticides may be cheaper per unit,
  but usually you end up with way more than needed
• Professional formulations also have a greater
  risk for mistakes and consequently exposure

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Safe Use Precautions

• Generally professional pesticides require very
  little concentrate per water which makes mixing
  smaller amounts harder, such as a gallon
• The requirements for PPE are usually more strict
  as are other precautions particularly for the
  environment
• All of these stipulations also mean a longer,
  more difficult to understand label another good
  reason to stay away from professional products.

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Pesticide Terminology

• Acaricide
• A substance used to kill acarids (a subclass of
  aracnids that includes mites and ticks)
• Attractant
• A substance used to lure a pest
• Avicide
• A substance used to kill birds
• Bactericide
• Fungicide

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Pesticide Terminology

• Growth Regulator
• Herbicide
• Insecticide
• Miticide
• Nematicides
• A substance used to control nematodes
• Repellants
• Rodenticide

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Pesticide Terminology

• Band
• Spraying in-between rows, a small strip
• Broadcast
• Dip
• Directed
• Drench
• In-furrow
• Application to or within the furrow

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Pesticide Terminology

• Spot treatment
• Sidedress
• Over-the-top
• Contact
• Stomach
• Systemic
• Translocated/translaminar
• Selective/non-selective

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Pesticide Label

• Labeling-all of the printed information on or
  attached to a pesticide container
• The EPA is the federal agency that gives broad
  approval for a product that claims to have
  pesticidal activity
• In Virginia, manufacturers also have to be
  approved by VDACS
• This approval process ensures the claims made by
  the company can be proven and also that the
  product conforms to safety standards

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Pesticide Label

• The most important thing to know about pesticides
  is that the label is the law!
• The label is the law!
• The label is the law!
• The label is a contract between EPA,
  manufacturer, seller and purchaser.
• Purchasing a pesticide is agreeing to the terms
  on the label.

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Pesticide Label

• The label has parts
• Brand name
• Common name
• Chemical name and composition/ingredient
  statement
• EPA registration number
• EPA establishment number
• Name and address of the manufacturer
• Net contents

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Pesticide Label

• Restricted use designation
• Restricted use chemicals require a pesticide
  license and will not be in most retail
  establishments and are not meant for homeowner
  use
• Precautionary Statements
• Signal Word
• Danger/Poison
• Warning
• Caution
• Statement of Practical Treatment

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Pesticide Label

• PPE
• Hazards to human and domestic animals
• Environmental hazards
• Directions for use
• Misuse statement
• Storage and disposal
• Emergency assistance

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Pesticide Formulations

• Aerosol (A)
• Bait (B)
• Dust (D)
• Emulsifiable Concentrate (E,EC)
• Granule (G)
• Ready-to-use (RTU)
• Water Dispersible Granule (WDG), Dry Flowable
  (DF)
• Wettable Powder (WP)

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Adjuvants

• Adjuvants are added to increase effectiveness or
  safety
• Includes activators, compatibility agents,
  deflocculators, detergent, dispersants,
  emulsifiers, foam and drift suppressants, and
  spreading, sticking and wetting agents
• Sometimes they are already part of the
  formulation, sometimes they need to be added or
  are unnecessary

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Compatibility

• Not all pesticides can be mixed together
• The label will give instructions on what can and
  cannot be mixed
• Sometimes the label will also tell you to perform
  a jar test, but this is usually only with
  professional pesticides

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Personal Safety

• One of the first things to know about personal
  safety is what PPE is and what PPE the pesticide
  you are using requires
• The label will give instructions on the minimum
  PPE, this is a requirement, not a suggestion!
• Most often PPE consists of long pants,
  long-sleeved shirt, shoes plus socks and
  sometimes chemical resistant gloves and eye
  protection

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Personal Safety

• Be aware of what you need to wear for each
  activity, mixing and loading may require more PPE
  that applying
• Eating, drinking, smoking and chewing gum should
  not happen while spraying, nor should these items
  be present when you spray
• Pesticide contaminated clothing should be washed
  separately from other laundry and an empty cycle
  should be run after washing PPE

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Symptoms of Poisoning

• Different pesticides affect people differently
  but knowing common symptoms can help you get help
  faster
• Symptoms of mild poisoning or early acute
  poisoning include
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Excessive sweating and salivation

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Symptoms of Poisoning

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Stomach cramps
• Diarrhea
• Moderate poisoning or intermediate acute symptoms
  include
• Increased severity of early symptoms
• Inability to walk
• Weakness

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Symptoms of Poisoning

• Chest discomfort
• Muscle twitches
• Constricted pupils
• Severe or acute poisoning
• Unconsciousness
• Sever constriction of pupils
• Muscle twitches
• Convulsions
• Secretions from the mouth and nose
• Breathing difficulty
• Death

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Symptoms of Poisoning

• Acute symptoms appear within 24 hours and are
  usually reversible with treatment
• An MSDS will tell you what to expect and give
  numbers to call in emergency
• If symptoms appear after 12 hours check with a
  doctor to make sure you have pesticide poisoning
  and not something else

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Emergency Procedures

• The label will list specific procedures for
  specific pesticides
• Depending on the specific pesticide it may be
  particularly harmful to the eye or skin and
  require certain remedies
• In general, if a pesticide gets on the skin, wash
  with soap and water as soon as possible and
  remove contaminated clothing

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Emergency Procedures

• Clothing soaked with concentrate should be thrown
  away
• If pesticide gets into the eye, flush with a
  gentle stream of water for 15 minutes
• If someone has been acutely poisoned, seek
  medical attention immediately
• Give the doctor the name of the pesticide and how
  much was ingested
• Take the pesticide and the MSDS with you
• Or call poison control-1-800-222-1222

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Protecting the Environment

• Protecting insect pollinators (bees)
• Avoid spraying when plants are blooming
• Spray in the early morning or evening
• Choose spray formulations over dust and do not
  apply when temperatures are cool because residues
  will stay active longer
• If you have any concerns about bees, including
  identification, habits and swarm or nest
  collection contact the state apiarist at VDACS or
  the local master beekeepers

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Protecting the Environment

• Persistence and Accumulation
• Persistence refers to how long a pesticide
  remains active in the environment
• Most are broken down by sun, temperature or
  microbial activity
• Pesticides that build up in the tissues of
  animals are said to accumulate
• Most pesticides that accumulate have limited uses
  or are off the market

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Pesticide Movement

• Drift
• Spray droplets
• Pesticides attached to soil particles that erode
• Volatilization
• Tendancy for a liquid to turn to gas
• Some volatize more readily than others like 2,4-D
  ester
• Do not mix, store or apply pesticide near any
  source of water or a storm grate

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IPM

• Well talk about that more in depth later!

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Application Equipment

• There are different ways to apply different
  pesticides
• Most of the time the application method is
  determined by the formulation
• Reading and understanding the label will tell you
  haw the pesticide should be applied

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Application Equipment

• Any application equipment should be maintained
  properly
• Cleaned after use
• Stored properly
• Applicators used for herbicide should not be used
  for any other pesticide or fertilizer
• Caution should also be used when using
  non-selective herbicides

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Application Equipment

• Sprayers
• Use compression to force liquid/suspension out
• One of the most common ways to apply pesticide
• Hand duster
• Either separate device or built in to the
  container
• Hard to get uniform coverage and tends to drift
  easily

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Application Equipment

• Spreaders
• For granule formulations
• More uniform coverage and low drift
• Be careful when applying near hard surfaces and
  clean excess when finished

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Sprayer Calibration and Application Techniques

• Calibration ensures the equipment performs to
  certain specifications
• When using sprayers and spreaders it is important
  to make sure the equipment is applying the
  correct amount
• This is especially important for labels that
  express rate as an amount per area, such as
  ounces per 1000 square feet

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Sprayer Calibration and Application Techniques

• Calibrating a sprayer does not take much time and
  is relatively easy
• Clean our the sprayer including the hose
• Mark out an areas, something easy like 10 x 10
• Fill the sprayer with a known volume of water,
  such as 1 gallon
• Spray the area in a continuous fashion as you
  would when spraying actual chemicals

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Sprayer Calibration and Application Techniques

• Spray the remaining volume out of the sprayer and
  measure it
• Subtract the remaining amount from the starting
  amount of liquid
• This amount over the area sprayed is your rate
• When spraying or spreading it is important to
  have a good pattern to achieve uniformity

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Sprayer Calibration and Application Techniques

• Try not to spray so that you are walking through
  it
• A good way to get a uniform broadcast application
  is to spray half the rate in one direction and
  then again in a perpendicular direction

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Storage and Disposal

• Always read the label for instructions on how to
  properly store and dispose of any chemical
• There are general guidelines but the label will
  have specific concerns and requirements

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Storage and Disposal

• In general a pesticide storage area should have
• Security
• Good ventilation
• Good lighting
• Moisture control
• Protection from temperature extremes
• Enough space to store and separate pesticides
• Construction so that spills and leaks can be
  contained

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Storage and Disposal

• Make sure you have clean-up materials at hand
• The clean-up supplies should be for pesticide
  only
• Pesticides should always be stored in their
  original container!
• Changing containers can be confusing and the
  second container may not be able to hold the
  pesticide

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Storage and Disposal

• Pesticide should always be stored by itself and
  never with food (animal or human), cleaning
  products or drugs
• Keep track of what has been purchased and use
  older pesticides first
• Check for deteriorating containers and labels
• Replace labels when necessary ensuring they are
  fixed to the container

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Storage and Disposal

• By keeping good inventory and only buying what is
  needed for the growing season, disposal problems
  are eliminated
• If the product is still legal for use the best
  and most recommended way to dispose of it is to
  use it according to the label
• If you cannot use it, see if you can give it to
  another gardener

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Storage and Disposal

• The label will give specific directions on
  disposing of unused concentrate
• It may be returned to the manufacturer or the
  point of sale but generally that only happens
  when the product is illegal for use
• Another way to dispose is to participate in a
  homeowner waste collection program or VDACS
  pesticide disposal program

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Storage and Disposal

• NEVER pour concentrate out anywhere
• Plan carefully to avoid dealing with excess
  dilution
• Storage is not recommended, but to use what is
  mixed according to the label
• Try to reuse rinsate in another mix
• Containers should also be disposed of according
  to label directions

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Pesticides and the Law

• The EPA and VDACS are the agencies that regulate
  pesticides in Virginia
• FIFRA is the federal legislation on pesticides
• The Pesticide Control Act is the Virginia
  legislation that governs pesticides

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Choosing the Right Pesticide

• If you are unfamiliar with pesticides or have a
  new problem contact the local extension agent for
  advice
• A knowledgeable garden center employee is also
  helpful
• There are internet resources for pest control as
  well, including the Virginia Pest Management
  Guide published yearly by Virginia Cooperative
  Extension

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Choosing the Right Pesticide

• Some things to consider when choosing a pesticide
  are
• Site
• Equipment and PPE
• Minimize waste
• Least toxic
• Environmental hazards
• Disposal

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IPM!

• What is IPM?
• Science-based decision-making process that
  identifies and reduces risks from pests and pest
  management related strategies
• IPM coordinates
• Pest biology
• Environmental information
• Available technology

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IPM

• The goals of IPM are
• To prevent unacceptable levels of pest damage
• Use the most economical means
• Pose the least risk to people, property,
  resources and the environment

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IPM

• There are 5 basic steps in IPM
• Pest identification
• Pest biology
• Monitoring/scouting
• Establish thresholds and determine treatments
• Evaluation of results

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IPM

• The first step is proper pest identification
• To that I would also add plant identification too
• Without proper identification of the host as well
  as the problem, effective treatment cannot happen

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IPM

• Basic plant identification
• Woody or herbaceous?
• Perennial, biennial, annual?
• Simple or compound leaves?
• Color variation?
• Flowers or fruit visible?
• Habit?
• Leaf shape

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IPM
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IPM

• Disease Identification
• Symptoms
• Dieback
• Chlorosis
• Wilting
• Necrosis
• Growths/galls
• Cankers
• Odd coloration

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IPM

• Signs
• Fruiting bodies
• Mycelia
• Bacterial ooze

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IPM

• Insect identification
• Eight legs or six?
• Complete or incomplete metamorphosis?
• Wings
• Held like a tent
• Fixed
• Fold flat
• One set hard, or patchy-looking
• Only one set

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IPM

• Antennae
• Clubbed
• Segmented
• Feathered
• Elbowed
• Body segments
• Thin abdomen
• Fat abdomen
• Distinct/indistinct separation of segments
• Head visible from above or hidden

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IPM
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IPM
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IPM
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IPM

• The next step in IPM is understanding pest
  biology
• It is impossible to go over the specifics of all
  the pests you might encounter so learning how to
  find and utilize good resources is key
• Good resources can be books, other knowledgeable
  persons, or the internet

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IPM

• Some of my most used books
• Websites
• Various state extension websites
• www.bugguide.net
• Knowledgeable persons
• Extension agents
• AREC personell

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IPM

• The Pest Management Guide from VA cooperative
  extension
• Can have it in print or bookmark the website
• Updated every year
• Looks like this

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IPM

• Important aspects of pest biology
• Life cycle
• Habitat-does it change with stage of life
• Feeding habits
• Vulnerability
• Specific stage of life
• Specific type of pesticide

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IPM

• Monitoring and scouting
• In order to effectively manage pests, it is
  necessary to assess populations
• Knowing pest biology will determine when is the
  best time to be looking for the pest
• Helps determine populations and in conjunction
  with thresholds determines treatment
• Also can determine populations of beneficial bugs

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IPM

• Monitoring or scouting can be once a month, week,
  biweekly or just a few times a year
• Pest pressure and thresholds will determine a
  schedule
• Tools for monitoring include
• Hand lens
• Pen and notebook to keep track
• Min-max thermometers

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IPM

• Determining thresholds and establishing
  treatments
• In IPM, thresholds need to be established
• A threshold is the point where action is taken
• Thresholds can be number of pests, or amount of
  damage to plants
• There can also be multiple thresholds for
  multiple treatments

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IPM

• After thresholds are set, treatments can be
  determined
• Treatments can escalate as thresholds increase
• Treatments should include as many of the
  following types as possible
• Cultural
• Focus on plant health
• Proper conditions for optimal growth
• Crop rotation

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IPM

• Physical/Mechanical
• Physically altering the environment or the pest
  to obtain a level of control
• Tilling
• Hand-weeding
• Row covers
• Resistance
• Using plants that are resistant to pests
• Biological
• Other living organisms to control another
• Such as ladybugs, Beauvaria bassiana

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IPM

• Chemical
• Pesticides
• Evaluate results
• Keeping track of what was used and when can give
  a good idea of how well it worked
• Review records at end of season to find trends
  and make the program better for the coming year

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IPM-Examples

• Aphids
• Identification
• Small, often smaller than a grain of rice
• Two projections on the rear called cornicles
• Can be many different colors and are soft-bodied
• Tend to congregate
• May see cast skins and sooty mold
• Leaves of plants can be distorted and curled
• May see winged males
• Segmented antennae almost as long as the body
• Fat abdomen
• Incomplete metamorphosis

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IPM-Examples
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IPM-Examples

• Pest biology
• Have incomplete metamorphosis
• Populations are primarily females
• All females can produce other female aphid nymphs
• Aphids give live birth
• Males may or may not be produced
• Eggs are the overwintering stage
• Can complete a life cycle in as little as ten days

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IPM-Examples

• Set thresholds
• Depends on the plant
• How much damage can it sustain
• How long are the insects active on the plant
• What is the chance for re-infestation
• Depends on the situation
• How much damage is acceptable
• What control options are available
• Set threshold based on damage to plant or insect
  population?

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IPM-Examples

• Determine Treatment(s)
• Cultural
• Keeping healthy, vigorous plants to out-grow
  damage
• Mechanical/Physical
• Row covers
• Syringing-a forceful spray of water to dislodge
  the aphids
• Resistance
• May not have varietal resistance but different
  species

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IPM-Examples

• Biological
• Predators-ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps
• Beauveria bassiana
• Pyrethrum
• Neem oil
• Chemical
• Soaps and oils work well
• Other contact insecticides
• Rotenone
• Pyrethrins

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IPM-Examples

• Systemic insecticide
• Imidacloprid
• Monitoring/Scouting
• How often
• Weekly or monthly?
• Evaluation of results
• Keep records of monitoring and controls
• Did you achieve the amount of control desired
• Do any adjustments need to be made

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IPM-Examples

• Pest identification
• Pest biology
• Set thresholds and determine treatments
• Monitoring/scouting
• Evaluate results

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Pesticides and IPM

• Any questions?
• rhypes_at_cwf.org
• 565-8721