Understanding Pesticides

Chapter 9 Integrated Pest Management

 Prevention Identify pests

 Pest Identification

 Monitor for pests

 Determine your tolerance

 Consider alternatives to pesticides (biological controls, physical & mechanical destruction)

 Pesticides as a last resort

Pesticides: Kill or control “pests”

 Insecticides  Plant growth  Fungicides regulators (excluding  Rodenticides fertilizer or nutrients)  Herbicides  Repellents  Nematicide  Defoliants &  Molluscicide Dessicants  Avicide  Attractants  Miticide  Bactericide

Pesticide Trends in CA

 Use of older organophosphate & carbamate pesticides has declined 66% since 1999  More implementation of IPM and organic methods  Still need older compounds to prevent resistance & as a last resort California Highest per acre use is

 Sulfur home vs crop  Petroleum Oil  Mineral Oils  Metam-Sodium (fumigant)  1,3 Dichloropropene (fumigant)  Glyphosate  Chloropicrin (tear gas, used with fumigants)  Metam-Potassium (fumigant)  Lime (Bordeaux mixture - fungicide

Reported Pesticide Usage  Methyl Soyate (adjuvant) 7231 lbs 2016  Glyphosate (herbicide) 5375 lbs  Oxyfluorofen (herbicide) 3320 lbs

 Imazapyr (herbicide) 1594 lbs #53 in state  Clopyralid (herbicide) 19,992 lbs total  Hexazinone (herbicide)  Sulfuryl fluoride (fumigant)  Penoxsulam (herbicide)  Aminopyralid (herbicide)  Triclopyr (herbicide) 14.8 lbs  Mineral Oil 14.1 lbs

Trinity County Pesticide Usage Pesticide Toxicity

 Measured in LD50  “LD” short for Lethal Dose

 The LD50 is the dose of a toxin that produces 50% mortality in a test population  So low value means more toxic

 LD50 is usually expressed in milligrams of toxin per kilogram of animal test weight (mg/kg)

 Even water has an LD 50

Signal Words Indicate Toxicity

Toxicity doesn’t consider long term effects or physical or chemical hazards

Mode of Action

 Contact  Stomach (have to be eaten, i.e. Bt or CydX)  Systemic (residual effect)  Translocated herbicides  Fumigants Need to consider  Desiccants timing, location (is pest present & in vulnerable  Selective vs Non- life stage) and weather. selective or broad spectrum

Pesticide Formulations

 Ready to Use  Emulsifiable concentrates  Solutions  Flowables  Aerosols Risks:  Wettable powders Inhalation of dusts &  Soluble powders powders  Baits Spills & splashes of  Granules concentrates  Dusts Labels

 Classification   Brand or Trade Name  Active Ingredient  Inert/Other ingredients  Signal Terms (Caution, Warning, Danger)  Precautions  Directions for Use!  First Aid  Storage & Disposal

General Use (Unclassified) Restricted Use For retail sale to and use only by certified applicators or persons under their direct supervision and only for those uses covered by the certified applicator’s certification

Should be OK for use by Depends on formulation, home gardeners, but….. target crop/location

Classification Private Applicator Certification

 Need PCA to use restricted pesticides  Take test administered by Ag Commissioner  Take 6 hrs CE every 3 years  Get pesticide ID

Labels

 Classification   Brand or Trade Name  Active Ingredient  Inert/Other ingredients  Signal Terms (Caution, Warning, Danger)  Precautions  Directions for Use!  First Aid  Storage & Disposal

Precautionary Statements

 Routes of Entry into First Aid body  Protective clothing  Tells you if product is corrosive, flammable or explosive  Describes environmental hazards  Restricted Entry Interval Directions for Use

 Lists target pests & sites  Rate of Application  Where & when to apply product  Mixing instructions  Storage & Disposal ◦ Store in original container Check IPM Pest Note ◦ Don’t reuse container first for effective control, ◦ Rinse thoroughly then look at label

Application Equipment

 Aerosol can  Trigger pump sprayer  Hose-end sprayer  Compressed-air sprayers  Backpack sprayers Right application ◦ May need to calibrate tank equipment, wrong PPE sprayers

READ THE LABEL! Pesticide Safety

 Apply under prescribed conditions (wind, rain, temp)  Don’t transfer out of original container  Follow the Restricted Entry Interval (time before re- entering treated area)  Follow Pre-Harvest Interval (time before you can harvest or eat fruit or veggies that have been treated)  Avoid exposure ◦ Wear protective Pesticide Illnesses clothing ◦ Wash clothing separately with detergent, air dry ◦ Keep away from children ◦ Be careful when mixing  Know appropriate first aid  Know symptoms  Report to Dr or Ag Commissioner, forwarded to DPR

Pesticide Disposal

 Make only required amount of solution  Don’t flush down toilet, sink, gutter, etc  Clean up spills  Triple rinse container, apply rinsate to target  Puncture or wrap, dispose of EMPTIES in trash  Take unwanted pesticides to Haz Waste Collection Days For Home Gardener Use ROUND UP THE USUAL SUSPECTS Homeowner Arsenal, Part 1

 Bacillus Thurigensis (Bt) is a bacteria ◦ Caterpillar Killer ◦ Specific to lepidoptera, skeeters ◦ Works best on newly hatched larvae, have to be eating ◦ May need multiple applications ◦ Read storage instructions – is a living organism

Homeowner Arsenal, Part II

 Cyd-X is a virus ◦ Specific to codling moths ◦ Makes them sick & not want to eat ◦ Timing is very important  Spinosad is a natural substance made by soil bacterium ◦ Causes spasms then paralysis in insects ◦ Controls foliage feeding worms, thrips, ants, leafminers, spider mites, etc ◦ Considered organic

Homeowner Arsenal, Part III

 Pyrethrins ◦ Botanical insecticide derived from chrysanthemum ◦ Broad spectrum, breaks down quickly ◦ Causes paralysis of flies, mosquitoes, aphids, beetles, mealybugs, etc ◦ Harmful to beneficials ◦ Considered organic

Homeowner Arsenal, Part IV

 Permethrins ◦ Pyrethroid, works by contact or ingestion ◦ Acts on nervous system, causes muscle spasms ◦ Synthetic, not considered organic ◦ Highly toxic to honey bees, sickens cats

Homeowner Arsenal, Part V  Horticultural oils ◦ May contain mineral oil (highly refined petroleum oil) and/or plant oils or neem oil  Most considered organic (look for OMRI symbol)  Not really a difference between summer & dormant oils anymore  Use for dormant spraying also

Homeowner Arsenal, Part V

◦ Wide range of activity over stationary pests (scale, aphid) plus mealybugs, whiteflies ◦ Suffocates insect, affect feeding, has some fungicidal benefit ◦ Less harmful to mobile beneficials, no toxic residue – kill on contact ◦ Can injure plants – need to follow label!! Never apply after bud break/bloom or when drought stressed. Want temperatures between 40-85°F.

Homeowner Arsenal, Part VI

 Insecticidal Soaps ◦ Kills soft bodied insects best, cause desiccation by dissolving cuticle ◦ Control mites, aphids, whiteflies, & plant-sucking arthropods ◦ Kills only on contact, so less harmful to beneficials, but repeated applications needed ◦ Considered organic ◦ Some plants are sensitive, causes phytotoxicity Homeowner Arsenal, Part VII

 Sevin – Carbaryl ◦ Interrupts nervous system ◦ Broad spectrum insect killer ◦ Moderately toxic, perhaps carcinogenic, to humans, very toxic to beneficials  Malathion (organophosphate) and more toxic brethren – not for homeowner use, some kept registered for emergencies

Homeowner Arsenal, Part VIII

 Fungicides – mostly organic ◦ Primarily as preventative ◦ Sulfur  i.e. wettable powder for Powdery Mildew on grapes  Conflicts with use of horticultural oil ◦ Copper  i.e. Liquicop for Peach Leaf Curl ◦ Serenade  Developed from a bacterium Homeowner Arsenal, Part IX

 Pre-emergent herbicides ◦ Prevent seed germination or inhibit seedlings ◦ Need to be moved into soil ◦ Activated by tilling or irrigation  Examples ◦ Corn gluten ◦ Preen – trifluralin ◦ Weed Stopper - oryzalin

Homeowner Arsenal, Part X

 Least toxic post-emergent herbicides ◦ Contact, nonselective ◦ Mostly considered organic ◦ Work best on young annual plants, not very effective, don’t kill roots  Herbicidal soaps (fatty acid) ◦ Causes plant to dry out & die  Clove oil, cinnamon oil, lemongrass oil  Vinegar, acetic acid, citric acid

Homeowner Arsenal, Part XI

 Glyphosate (Round-up) ◦ Post-emergent, systemic, nonselective ◦ Prevents plants from making certain proteins, starves plants ◦ Binds tightly to soil, adjuvants affect fish  “Round-up Ready” corn & soybeans ◦ Spray crop & control weeds ◦ Reliance on one technique leads to resistance Homeowner Arsenal, Part XII

 2,4-D ◦ Post-emergent, systemic, selective ◦ Plant hormone mimic – causes rapid cell division & abnormal growth ◦ Kills broadleaf plants (dicots), grasses survive ◦ Can leach in soil, typical half- life is 10 days

Homeowner Arsenal, Part XIII

 Fluazifop ◦ Post-emergent, systemic, selective ◦ Kills grass (monocots), leaves broadleaf plants  Triclopyr ◦ Brush-B-Gon, Garlon ◦ Need PCA, for higher concentration used to kill blackberries Homeowner Arsenal, Part XIV

 Neonicatinoids, similar to nicotine  Systemic  Less toxic to birds & mammals, highly toxic to bees  Imidacloprid – most widely used insecticide in the world

Trespass Marijuana Grows  Concerns about use of rodenticides & poisoning of non-target species  Finding carbofuran (carbamate, nerve toxin, banned in U.S.  Also finding organophosphates  In plants, animals, soil & downstream water

Mixing Exercise

 Read Liqui-cop Label  Use separate equipment for herbicides & insecticides  Keep separate measuring utensils

I hate to calibrate

MONTEREY GARDEN INSECT SPRAY may be applied with trigger sprayer, hand-held, backpack, or hose-end sprayers. Use a hose-end sprayer that can be adjusted to provide a dilution ratio of about 2.0 fl. oz. (4 Tbs.) of product per gallon of spray.

Add the required amount of MONTEREY GARDEN INSECT SPRAY to the recommended amount of water, mix thoroughly, and apply uniformly to plant foliage to point of runoff. It is recommended to mix only as much spray as needed for a single treatment. In vegetable gardens it is recommended to use not more than 3.0 gallons of spray for 1,000 square feet of area.