Most organisms are not considered pests. However, certain situations may occur that prompt an organism to be labeled a pest. Organisms are considered pests when they
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A pest can be an invertebrate (e.g., insect, mite, tick, slug), pathogen (e.g., bacteria, fungi, virus), plant (weed), vertebrate (e.g., deer, rodent), or other unwanted organism. It is important to correctly define an organism as a pest, and verify the identity of a pest, before making any pest management decisions.
Integrated pest management (IPM) is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of appropriate control tactics. These tactics can be preventative, curative, or both and are often combined to provide the best possible results. An IPM program proactively seeks to determine and correct the cause of a pest problem while also minimizing risks to human health and the environment. In short, IPM can be thought of as best practices for managing pests. IPM plans can be developed for virtually any setting where pests occur such as gardens, farms, natural areas, homes, or schools.
When dealing with any pest issue, there are important questions to ask and decisions to make. Start by identifying or describing the problem. Ask yourself these questions:
The process of answering these questions will help you begin implementing an integrated pest management plan.
The purpose of IPM is to provide practical, cost-effective solutions for managing pests while protecting people, animals, and the environment. A major goal of IPM is to reduce reliance on pesticides by using a variety of control methods. Integrating multiple control methods has the added benefit of helping to avoid or delay development of resistance to any one pest control technique or tactic. However, before focusing on the methods for managing pests, it is important to first think about your pest control goals.
The objective of IPM in most outdoor situations is not to eliminate the pest population, but to suppress pest numbers or damage to a tolerable level. In many cases, a certain level of pest presence can be tolerated because the complete eradication of a pest species may be prohibitively expensive or technically impossible. In indoor areas, eradication of a pest population is often more feasible because the environment is smaller, less complex, and more easily controlled than outdoor areas. In either case, determining what a tolerable level is for your situation is essential during the goal setting process. When establishing tolerance levels, a number of factors can be considered such as the potential damage (economic, aesthetics, health, etc.) from the pest’s activities and the cost and/or time involved to control the pest.
Once pest control goals have been established, you can begin developing your IPM plan. Although IPM plans can vary with each situation, they all follow a similar process:
Together, these actions enable informed and intelligent decision-making regarding pest control.
Prevention strategies can help limit the factors that contribute to pest issues in our gardens, homes, lawns, and other areas. Preventative measures taken before a pest appears can result in fewer rescue treatments, and should be used first if practical and available. It may be easier and more effective to remove the reason why the pest is present in the first place, as opposed to controlling the pest after the fact. Prevention strategies are used to create a healthy, growing environment that limits the introduction of pests and their ability to reproduce, develop, and/or spread. Preventative tactics can include:
Correct identification of the pest or problem is the foundation of any IPM plan and can be considered the most important step. It starts with asking yourself if what you are seeing is actually a pest. Do not treat an organism as a pest until it has proven to be one. Make sure the damage observed is due to the pest and not another cause.
Proper identification will provide you with important information about the pest. This can include its preferred habitat, life cycle, and the factors that influence its spread and development. The more information that can be gathered about a pest, the greater the opportunity for cost-effective and successful pest control. Although identifying a pest can sometimes be difficult, there are several Virginia Cooperative Extension resources that can help.
Another key component to a successful IPM plan is regular monitoring of pest populations or their damage. Monitoring can answer several important questions:
To aid monitoring efforts, it is important to learn about the preferences and common problems relevant to the system being managed. For example, in a vegetable garden it is important to know what healthy plants look like, so you can quickly notice if something is abnormal or does not quite look right. Pest management guides can be used to familiarize yourself with some of the common pests and problems in the systems being managed.
Regular monitoring of a garden, lawn, home, or other site will allow for early detection of pests, which can help prevent or minimize a pest outbreak. Specifics on how often monitoring should be conducted depends on the system being managed and the pest. Regardless, it is often easier to control a pest problem in the early stages before populations have increased in size and spread.
Pest populations can vary from one location to another and from year to year. For this reason, it is important to consider keeping records of your monitoring activities. Records can help you manage pests during the current growing season, evaluate current control methods, and predict problems in the future.
If preventative measures fail to control a pest population, you will need to assess their damage and set a threshold for when to initiate a control measure or rescue treatment. A threshold can be thought of as a tolerance level. In other words, is the pest population and its damage tolerable in your garden, lawn, or home? Or is it causing economic, aesthetic, or other losses? Remember, finding a single pest or low levels of a pest may not indicate you should take action for its control. Only when the pest and/or its harm surpass a set level of tolerable damage should controls be implemented. Determining a threshold for each pest you are assessing will help you move forward with implementing control tactics only when necessary.
For some pests and commodities, thresholds have been developed based on economic or other considerations and are often based on monitoring data. For example, in tree fruit, if captures of codling moth in pheromone baited traps exceeds five moths per trap per week, control is necessary to prevent economic losses from this pest. For other pests, thresholds may involve some other assessment such as percent defoliation, leaf wetness duration, or population numbers per unit area.
In some situations, thresholds cannot be developed or have limited value. This is particularly true for many plant diseases, disease vectors (e.g., mosquitoes, ticks, fleas), or newly invasive species, which essentially have a threshold of zero. Controls for these pests are often initiated preventively or immediately upon detection.
When pest populations and/or their damage exceed established thresholds, it is time to initiate a control measure or rescue treatment. In an IPM program there are nonchemical and chemical control methods available. Nonchemical control methods should be used first if available and feasible. The techniques or tactics you choose will depend on the target pest and the kind and amount of control needed. IPM promotes the use of four basic pest control methods, as explained below.
Cultural Control: Controlling a pest with cultural methods involves modifying or disrupting the pest environment to make it less habitable. Many cultural control tactics can be thought of as preventative because they keep pest populations from developing or delay their impact. Examples of cultural control tactics include:
Mechanical/Physical Control: This method involves the use of hands-on techniques or simple equipment/devices to reduce or prevent the spread of pest populations. This is often achieved through activities that directly remove or exclude the pest from the system. Examples of removal include the use of traps to remove rodents from a structure, or hand removal of weeds from a garden bed. Techniques that focus on removal can be particularly effective if pest populations have not already reached high levels. Exclusionary tactics limit pest access into the system. Examples of exclusion include the use of row covers or fencing to prevent pests from feeding on plants in a garden, or the use of tight-fitting screens on windows and doors to prevent pest entry into a home.
Biological Control: This method involves the use of living organisms (i.e., natural enemies) to reduce pest populations (typically insects and weeds). Introducing or encouraging natural enemies can reduce the severity of potential pest outbreaks. Natural enemies can typically be grouped as predators, parasitoids, or pathogens. Predators feed on multiple prey throughout their life (e.g., insects, spiders, birds, fish). Parasitoids feed and develop on or within another invertebrate host, eventually killing it (e.g., parasitic wasps and flies). Pathogens are microorganisms that cause disease in their host (e.g., bacteria, fungi, nematodes, viruses).
Conservation of natural enemies (i.e., protecting and maintaining existing populations) is a readily available form of biological control for gardeners. Common conservation practices include limiting the use of broad-spectrum pesticides that kill a wide range of organisms, and providing habitat that promotes the establishment and survival of natural enemies.
Chemical Control: This method involves the use of pesticides to reduce pest populations. A pesticide is any substance that is used to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate any pest. Pesticides can be synthetic (man-made), or natural products derived from plants, microorganisms, or inorganic elements. Although a major goal of IPM is to reduce reliance on pesticides, they are sometimes necessary to control pests and their damage. When selecting a pesticide, it is important to choose a product that is compatible with any nonchemical control methods that may already be in place. Safe use and other considerations regarding pesticides will be discussed in further detail later in this chapter.
An important, but often overlooked, step is to evaluate the results of your control efforts. Because of the variability present in any biological system, the effectiveness of an IPM plan may change over time or between sites. Understand that IPM plans are not static, but constantly evolve as more information is collected and new control tactics are developed. There is seldom a single correct solution to a pest problem. Regular monitoring will help you to determine how well you are meeting your pest management goals and if changes are needed. Be aware that some control tactics may be slow to show noticeable results. It is also important to evaluate any potential negative impacts your control efforts may have on the target treated, natural enemies present, and the environment before deciding to continue using them in the future.
If you decide to include chemical control in your pest management plan, do so safely. Proper selection and proper use of pesticides is key for not only controlling the pest, but protecting yourself, others, and the environment. Following safety precautions and using common sense can prevent pesticides from causing unintended and unnecessary harm. Always read the pesticide product label before purchasing, using, storing, or disposing of a pesticide product or its container.
When selecting a pesticide, choose a product that is labeled for the site you need to treat and effective against the pest you need to control. Consider only those products you have the equipment and expertise to handle. If there is a choice of several products, select the least hazardous product with the lowest toxicity. For pest management recommendations, contact your local Extension office or consult the Virginia Cooperative Extension “Pest Management Guide: Home Grounds and Animals” 456-018
Some pesticides are specifically intended for home use. These products are packaged in small quantities (i.e., pints, quarts, and ounces) and are often ready-to-use. Their label directions are less technical than those intended for occupational users. Most pesticide products intended for home use are low in toxicity but can still be dangerous if used improperly. It is important to read and follow all label directions to help prevent pesticide related accidents.
Some pesticide products available for purchase are intended for agricultural and professional/commercial use. These products will have statements on the front of the label that indicate the intended user. You should not purchase these products. Often, these products are higher in toxicity because they are highly concentrated or contain higher amounts of active ingredients. They may require special protective clothing and application equipment. They are also sold in larger containers, which means the homeowner will have more material than can be used in a reasonable amount of time. Additionally, application rates are often given on a per-acre basis, making them difficult to mix.
Reading the label before purchasing a pesticide is the only way to be sure you can use the product as directed. Be sure you have the proper handling and measuring devices, application equipment, and protective clothing. Read the mixing instructions and application directions. Note any special handling instructions, specific warnings, and precautions.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Pesticide Services (VDACS-OPS) are the regulatory agencies charged with enforcing pesticide laws and regulations. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, it is illegal to use a pesticide on a site unless that site (plant, animal, place) is listed on the label. You may not exceed the application rate or other special use restrictions as directed by the label.
You are liable for misuse of pesticides on your property, which includes applications you may make or the applications of any commercial applicators you hire. Serious misuse may result in drift on to other people’s property, leaching of a pesticide into water supplies, or other problems related to application of a pesticide contrary to label directions.
Some pesticide products are extremely hazardous to humans and/or the environment. The EPA classifies these products as restricted use pesticides (RUPs). A certificate issued by VDACS-OPS is required to purchase and use RUP products. If a person intends to use RUPs to produce agricultural commodities on their farm or land they lease, they are required to have private pesticide applicator certification. Anyone who uses RUPs as a part of their job duties, must obtain a commercial pesticide applicator or registered technician certification. The process of certification and use of RUP products is NOT intended for the home gardener.
The words “insecticides” and “pesticides” are often used interchangeably. However, these two words have different meanings. As you can see in Table 7-1, an insecticide is just one type of pesticide.
Pesticides work in different ways. They can be grouped in any of several ways on the basis of their chemistry, how/when they work, or their site of action (see Table 7-2 for examples).
In order for a pesticide to be sold, purchased, or used in the United States, the pesticide must be registered by the EPA. Registration decisions are based on the agency’s examination of the
The EPA assesses both risks and benefits of a product. They only register pesticide products that the agency has determined will not pose unreasonable adverse effects to humans, the environment, and nontarget species when used according to label directions. A product cannot be legally sold, purchased, or used as a pesticide until it is registered with the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs.
Another category of available products is Section 25(b), minimum-risk pesticides. Minimum-risk pesticides are exempt from federal registration by the EPA because they have been determined to pose little to no risk to human health or the environment. Minimum-risk pesticides are often derived from plant and food compounds and therefore are considered relatively benign. Although EPA does not require federal registration of Section 25(b), minimum-risk pesticides, many states require them to be registered with their state pesticide regulatory agency. In Virginia, these products must be registered with the VDACS-OPS if they are to be manufactured, distributed, sold, or used within the state. Be aware that because minimum-risk pesticides are exempt from the federal registration process, their labels may offer limited information on safety and efficacy. Exercise caution and follow all label directions if using minimum-risk pesticides no matter how natural the ingredients appear.
Federal law defines pesticide labeling as all of the print information and graphics (label, booklet) attached to or sold with the product. The pesticide label is a binding legal agreement among three parties: the product registrant (manufacturer), the EPA, and the end user.
The pesticide label must provide the user with all the necessary information on safe and effective use, proper storage, and proper disposal of the pesticide and its container. Pesticide users are required to follow all label directions. Using a pesticide in any manner that is inconsistent with the labeling is against the law.
Specific parts of the label identify the product, its hazards and precautions for handlers, and directions for proper use, storage, and disposal. The following section lists the information commonly found in specific parts of the pesticide label.
Brand Name: Each company uses brand names to identify their products. The brand name is displayed prominently on the front panel of the label.
Ingredients Statement: The ingredients statement lists the active ingredients (the chemicals that affect or control the target pest). It must list the chemical name and amount of each active ingredient (as a percentage by weight of the total product). The label must also show what percent of the total contents are other (inert) ingredients.
Pesticides have complex chemical names describing their chemical composition. Many chemical names are shortened into common names to make them easier to identify. A product label may use the chemical name, common name, or both to identify the active ingredient(s).EPA Registration Number: A registration number must be on every pesticide label. This number shows that the product has been registered with the EPA for the uses listed on the label. EPA registration numbers are unique to each individual pesticide product.
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EPA Establishment Number: The establishment number identifies the facility where the pesticide was produced.
Name and Address of Manufacturer: The law requires the manufacturer or distributor of a pesticide product to print the name and address of their company on the label.
Net Contents: The front panel of a pesticide states how much product is in the container. This can be listed as pints, pounds, quarts, gallons, or other units of measure.
Type of Pesticide: The front panel usually indicates in general terms what the pesticide will control. This statement might also indicate how the product may be used.
Type of Formulation: A pesticide formulation is the mixture of chemical ingredients (active and inert) that allows the product to be used effectively for the purpose claimed. Pesticide formulations can be sold as ready-to-use (meaning no further mixing is required) or as concentrated formulations, which require mixing and/or application equipment. Sometimes the formulation of a specific product is written on the label or is part of the product name (e.g., bait, dust, granule).
“Restricted Use” Designation: When a pesticide is classified as restricted use, the label will state “Restricted Use Pesticide” in a box at the top of the front panel. There may also be a statement describing the reason for the restricted use classification. Restricted use pesticides are not for home and garden use and should only be used by a certified pesticide applicator.
Precautionary Statements: Precautionary statements identify hazards associated with the use of the product, how to avoid them, and first aid for various exposure situations. The product’s toxicity is described by the signal word. All pesticide products carry the child hazard warning statement “Keep Out of Reach of Children.” The precautionary statements section of a label may also include personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, user safety requirements and recommendations, environmental hazards, and physical or chemical hazards.
Signal Words and Symbols: You can tell how acutely toxic a pesticide product is by the signal word on the label.
Pesticides with the signal word DANGER are typically not sold in the lawn and garden trade.
First Aid (Statement of Practical Treatment): The label provides emergency first aid instructions and describes the types of exposure requiring medical attention. Four routes of exposure can be harmful: ingestion (swallowing), inhalation (inhaling vapors), ocular (eyes) exposure, and dermal (skin) exposure.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): The label lists all protective clothing and equipment you must use when handling the product. At minimum, you should always wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, socks, and closed-toed shoes.
Hazards to Humans and Domestic Animals: This section must be included if a product is hazardous to humans or domestic animals. It will tell you if and how a product may harm people and animals. It will also describe any special steps necessary to avoid exposures.
Environmental Hazards: The label tells you how to avoid harm to the environment — including water, soil, air, and beneficial insects, plants, and/or wildlife. Some examples of hazard statements are:
Physical and Chemical Hazards: This section lists any specific fire, explosive, or chemical hazards the product may have.
Directions for Use: This section describes where, when, and how to apply the product, how much to use, and how to handle the product from start to finish. These instructions will:
All pesticide labels have a restricted entry interval (REI). The REI indicates how long to stay out of treated areas. Some products instruct you to keep people or pets out of the treated area for a short period of time, or until certain conditions are met. For example, the label may state, “Do not allow people or pets to enter the treated area until sprays have dried.”
*Pesticides labeled for use on food crops have a pre-harvest interval (PHI). The PHI is a period between the time of application and the time it is safe to pick and use the crop. A pre-harvest interval is usually written as “days to harvest.”
Misuse Statement: This section will remind you that it is a violation of federal law to use a product in a manner that is inconsistent with its labeling.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Brown, Bedford Extension Master Gardener ()
Pest control is an important procedure for crop maintenance. Picking the right pesticide based on your line of work and what you are spraying can take time. We will guide you on how to read consumer product labels and identify the five most common chemicals found in pesticides.
Behind every pesticide, there is an “active ingredient,” which is the solution producing the repelling effect. Before the chemical is sold, it needs to be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based on toxicity levels. How pesticides cause the repelling effect to its target is attributed to a mode of action. For example, most people know that insecticides repel insects, but every chemical compound works in different ways for several situations. We always recommend to first read the label in order to inform yourself. This will help you save time and also money. It is important to look at a few things when choosing the correct pesticide:
EPA registration number
This number is the most important part of information for tracking pesticide products. It means that the EPA has approved the product, and has determined it can be used with minimal or low risk as long as you follow the directions on the label. The registration number is not a stamp, a guarantee, or approval, but it is normally found on the front panel of the pesticide label. If a non-approved chemical is out in the market severe health effects could occur.
In September , the EPA failed approving the safety of Sulfoxaflor, a systemic insecticide poisonous to insects when is rooted in plant’s tissues. The lack of information on this case study brought a suit from the environmental group Earthjustice against the EPA once the chemical was approved and sold under the trade names Transform and Closer. Commercial beekeeping trade groups warned the manufacturer Dow Agro Sciences was creating a risk to bees populations. As a result a U.S. federal court revoked approval of Sulfoxaflor due to the limited data on the chemical’s effects on bees.
Therefore, there are risk assessments that evaluate the toxicity of pesticides:
-Harm to humans, plants, wildlife species, and endangered species.
-Human health risks from short-term to long-term effects, like the development of cancer and reproductive system orders.
-Potential environmental contamination of surface water or ground water, from discharge, and spray drift.
Safety information
The EPA also evaluates and approves the language that appears on pesticide labels. To ensure safe use, labels should provide instructions for pesticide use and storage, as well as a mandatory number to call for help or more information.
Signal Word
Check for signal words, which refer to the toxicity level of the product to humans and animals. The signal word Danger, indicates the product is corrosive and requires particular care. Warning, is an intermediate level, and can be more harmful than a “Caution” sign. Lastly, the word Caution, appears on products that are least harmful. Pay close attention to directions and warnings. Always double check to follow the correct procedure whenever using the product. Rely on the instructions that are meant to help maximize benefits, and lower risk. This will save you time to understand how and when to use it. Do not forget to check how long to wait before picking crops. Any chemical applied may last longer, requiring you to wait before picking. While the active ingredient in chemicals exist for the sole purpose of preventing or controlling pests, not all products work the same in every situation. Therefore, labels tell specific functionality of the product, and how it should be applied.
Precautionary Statements
When it comes to following instructions, some products require wearing protective clothing like gloves or goggles. Oftentimes the label will recommend to keep away from children or animals. Once the container is completely empty, there are more instructions for proper disposal.
Storage and Disposal
According to the EPA (), pesticides and insecticides labels say, “wrap in paper and place in trash.” If the main goal is to protect our crops, reasonably so we want to protect their environment with proper disposal of pesticides. Improper disposal can lead to a possible chemical reaction causing an explosion or fire. Double check, some pesticides include small foldout booklets included with the label information. Overall, pesticides require more care than people think because of the specific demands before, during, and after using them.
Additionally, keep products in their original containers. When throwing away the original bottle you are losing necessary information for the pesticide use, storage, or disposal. In some instances, products indicate to mix pesticides in a different container. Try to use all of the mixture. If you are able to, label the new container with the mixture as it will help you avoid harm in the future.
Five Most Common Pest Control Chemicals
After reading specific instructions and directions of proper use, most people miss reading the “active ingredients.” Without knowing the function of these chemicals, it is hard to know what pesticide is best suites for the goal you are trying to achieve. Let’s take a look at the five most common pest control chemicals found in pesticides:
1. Abamectin: Most used as an insecticide and anthelmintic for agricultural and residential areas to control pests like mites, leaf miners, pear psylla, cockroaches, and fire ants. It has low toxicity to mammals, and degrades quickly in soil.
2. Cyfluthrin: Insecticide and also common household pesticide, cyfluthrin is highly toxic to insects, aquatic organisms, and bees and is less toxic to humans. Once cyfluthrin is applied on insects, it binds to their nerve cells. By causing over-stimulation of the nervous system, common activities like feeding or motion are affected leading insects to die.
3. Fipronil: A white powder that works as an insecticide and causes a disruption to insects’ central nervous system. It also has a non-detecting ingredient, meaning insects will not feel or sense the chemical once they move into the treated area. This insecticide is commonly used to control beetles, cockroaches, ticks, termites, weevils, and other insects. In fact, there are more than 50 registered products with fipronil.
4. Permethrin: An insecticide that belongs to the pyrethroid family. It is a synthetic chemical that is used in numerous ways and areas to control insects, from public health mosquito control programs and food crops. It is commonly used for subterranean termites, bees, beetles, cockroaches, and crickets. Additionally, it works as an insecticide and medication to treat scabies and lice.
5. Bifenthrin: An insecticide mainly used to kill insects, such as fire ants, by affecting in their nervous system. In fact this chemical has low toxicity to birds, but it is highly toxic to fish and bees.
After becoming more aware to the most common chemicals, basic tips on how to read their labels, and how they relate to your work the process of pest control will become easier. Getting familiar with pesticides will always take time and patience, but as a long as you use the right equipment with the best pesticide, you will see better results. If you have questions about pesticides or have any concerns please contact your local provider or call National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) at 1-800-858- for more information.
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