Presentation Prepared By: James M. Osborne Extension Agent, ANR Grayson, Carroll, & Patrick Counties Virginia Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office July, 2002

Private Applicators Pesticide Training Session

Regulations n All applicators should know basic safety and handling rules for pesticide use. n A private applicator is anyone that uses or supervises the use of any restricted-use pesticide in the production of an agriculture commodity. n Certified applicators must attend an approved re-certification program at least every 2 years.

The Federal Agency responsible for pesticide registration is the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA).

Virginia Agency responsible for the certification of pesticide applicators is the Virginia Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

The Product Label n Contain directions that pesticide users are legally required to follow. n Is a legal agreement between EPA, the product manufacturer, and the user. n Tells if a pesticide is registered for a particular use.

The EPA Establishment Number identifies the facility where the product was made.

The Ingredient Statement must list the chemical name and/or consumer name for each active ingredient and its % of the product.

The Signal Word on a pesticide label indicates how acutely toxic the pesticide is to humans.

Acutely Toxic is how poisonous a pesticide is to an animal/human after a single dose.

Chronic Toxicity is how poisonous a pesticide is after small, repeated doses over a period of time.

The type and amount of active, inactive, and solvent or carrier ingredients, and the type of formulation, determine the toxicity of a pesticide.

HAZARD= EXPOSURE X TOXICITY

Each time you apply pesticides, you should: n Avoid non-target organisms and surfaces. n Operate equipment safely. n Deliver the pesticide to the target. n Check for appropriate delivery rate.

Cholinesterase level is that level which is necessary for your nervous system to work properly. Highly toxic chemicals attack cholinesterase and lower the necessary live needed to live.

Over-exposure could kill. You should have your cholinesterase level checked during the spray season if moderately or highly toxic chemicals are used much.

Direct supervision of a pesticide application means on-site supervision. When supervising other pesticide applicators, be sure they are instructed about the hazards of pesticide use.

Application Rate is the amount of pesticide sprayed divided by the distance covered. Equipment should be properly calibrated before use.

To clean/clear a hose, nozzle, or jet orifice, a small nylon brush should be used.

Calibration Example n 1quart / 500 square feet is applied. n label recommendations call using 1 gallon / 1000 square feet. n Is further calibration needed? n 1/500 = 4/1000 n 2/1000 = 4/1000 n Yes, Too much mix was used!!!

Label directions call for 3 pints per acre. Ground sprayer applications use 20 gallons per acre. How much chemical and water is needed to spray 5 acres? n 3 pts/ Acres 20 gallons/ Acres n X 5 Acres X 5 Acres n 15 pts/ 5 Acres 100gallons/ 5 Acres

If a pesticide is spilled on someone’s skin, you should immediately rinse with plenty of water. Penetrates and oils may allow faster movement through the skin.

To help prevent heat stress, you should n have plenty of drinking water on hand n take periodic breaks

Heat stress symptoms include: n Fatigue n Headaches n Nausea n Chills n Clammy skin n Heavy Sweating

Mixing, Loading, and application of pesticides are the primary handing tasks. They are also the most hazardous.

Some pesticide mixtures are difficult or impossible to apply because they form lumps or gels or separate out. Such mixtures would be considered incompatible.

Weeds can be divided into three different types. They are n Annuals n Bi-annuals n Perenials

IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management and involves biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical means of controlling pests.

Using different tactics to control a pest tends to cause the least disruption to the living organisms and other surrounding at the treatment site.

Sanitation, food and water supply control, host resistance are also part of IPM strategies.

Common cultural control methods include: n Crop Rotation n Cultivation n Adjusting row width n Fertilization n Timing of planting n Timing of harvesting

Biological control can include methods by which the pest is biologically altered. Examples might include releasing sterile males and the use of pheromones.

Some pests are more easily killed at certain stages of growth. The change of body form during the life cycle is called metamorphose. The house fly stages are the egg,larvae, pupae, and adult.

One way to tell a mite from an insect, is that and insect has 6 legs while a mite has 8 legs. A miticide controls mites, spiders, and/or ticks.

Vertebrates are animals with backbones and are one of the five common grouping that pests are divided into.

To reduce pest resistance problem, avoid using the same pesticide year after year in the same place.

Environmental protection is important. Possible causes of water contamination include: n Spills n Leaks n Back-siphoning

Buy only the amount of pesticide you plan to use that year.

Dispose of pesticides and empty containers properly. Try to use excess unusable pesticides in a way allowable to label directions. Many times these may be sent to the landfill or incinerator if quantities are small enough.

Be familiar with the required personal protective equipment needed for the job and in accordance with the label warnings.

Pesticide incidents that threaten lives must be reported the VDACS immediately, but at least within 48 hours.

Protective equipment should be cleaned after every use.

In case of a pesticide spill, be prepared and plan ahead by having proper protective equipment on hand.

The early signs of pesticide poisoning may be much like the flu.

Before applying pesticides, ask yourself these questions. n Is the problem actually caused by a pest and if so what kind of pest? n Is the problem severe enough to warrant chemical control? n Is the temperature high enough to get adequate results? n At what stage will the pest best be controlled?

Never use more pesticide than the recommended labeled rate.

Clean empty containers immediately to avoid residues.

Certified applicators must keep their applications records of restricted-use pesticides at least 2 years.

An adjuvant is the chemical added to a pesticide formulation or tank mix to increase its effectiveness or safety.

Drift is the pesticide movement away from the intended site by the air.

A pesticide that is a vapor or gas or forms a vapor or gas when applied and whose pesticide action occurs in the gaseous state is a Fumigant.

Leaching is the movement of pesticides in water or another liquid downward.

Rinsate is the pesticide- containing water that results from rinsing a pesticide container, equipment, or other pesticide- containing articles.

Regularly searching for, identifying, and assessing numbers of pests and their damage is known as scouting.

A systemic pesticide is a pesticide that is absorbed and circulated by a plant/animal so that the plant/animal becomes toxic to the pests that feeds on it.

A Volatile pesticide evaporates rapidly turning easily into a gas or vapor.

Abbreviations for Formulations n A = Aerosol n B= Bait n D= Dust n DF= Dry Flowable n E/EC= Emulsifiable Concentrate n F=Flowable n G=Granules n P=Pellets n W/WP= Wettable Powder

Signal Words Acute Toxicity Level n Poison Highly Toxic n Skull & Crossbones Highly Toxic n Danger Highly Toxic n Warning Moderately Toxic n Caution Slightly Toxic

That’s All Folks !!!!!!!!!!!