Tree Health and Pest Management
Please note that I'm approaching this topic from the "management" - not the "control" perspective. I will also place more emphasis on understanding the biology of the pest - not the quick fix to eradicate specific pests. The more you know about the pest, the more options you will have available to manage that pest's activities.
There has been a paradigm shift in landscape management over the last 15 years. In the past, your friendly commercial arborist would look over your trees and warn you about potential pests and nutrient problems. He would usually leave a written estimate prescribing a spray regiment for potential pests and a general fertilization requirement for continued vigorous growth. Today, commercial arborists are now encouraging homeowners to consider “plant health care” and all of the components that go into maintaining healthy plants.
If pesticides are to be used one is selected to cause minimal harm to populations of beneficial insects and the pesticide is used sparingly. Correct identification of harmful pests and beneficial insects is absolutely necessary prior to implementation of control measures (i.e. sprays, pheromone traps, releasing beneficials). Emphasis is placed on replacing susceptible plant material with pest and disease resistant varieties. Fertilizers are now applied on an as needed basis and only to correct a specific deficiency. This new approach to landscape maintenance is superior to the “old” way, but does require the arborist to be very knowledgeable in all areas of arboriculture.
See the Plant Health Care fact sheet (at the end of this unit) from the International Society of Arboriculture for more information.
Pesticide Safety
Always follow the instructions on the pesticide container label.
o Do it for yourself.
o Do it for the valley.
o Do it because it’s the law!
Here are some of the questions that should only be answered by the label:
Some suggestions for using and applying pesticides safely:
Equipment
o Don’t use the same sprayer, or measuring cup, for both herbicides and insecticides.
o Purchase at least two sprayers and label each of them to avoid possible contamination in the future. You’re not going to be able to remove all of the herbicide residue from the tank by rinsing with water.
Damage From Drift
Be extremely careful when applying herbicides near your property boundaries. Spray particles, too small for you to see, can easily drift onto you neighbor’s property and kill plants. Here are a few suggestions to avoid drift:
Vapor
Even if you did prevent the spray from trespassing, the herbicide you’re spraying on your property may still vaporize and travel some distance.
Leftovers
Don’t store mixed pesticides. In a short period of time your mix will no longer be effective. You’re going to have to spray that excess pesticide on plants deemed appropriate according to the label. I suggest calling up a friend and offering to spray her plants, especially if she’s experiencing some of the same pest problems. Never, never, never, never, never rinse pesticides down the drain.
Storage
Only store pesticides if they have their original label. If you have, or inherit, pesticides without their original label contact your city/county waste management folks and find out where you should take it for safe disposal. Store pesticides in an area that is inaccessible to children… in other words, in a locked cabinet. In order for these pesticides to be effective in the future you are going to have to avoid temperature extremes (freezing and heat). A garage is a good idea. Your home is a terrible idea. If storage is a problem then just purchase small amounts and plan on using up your pesticides in the late summer and purchasing more next spring (if needed).
Disposal
Rinse the container three times and pour the rinse water into the sprayer. Punch holes into the container so that no one will be able to use this container in the future. Check the label, but a triple-rinsed container with lots of punched holes can usually be thrown away with the rest of your household garbage.
Liability
The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulate pesticide use. If you apply pesticides in any manner that is not listed on the label… you’re breaking state and federal laws. You are ultimately liable for misuse of pesticides on your property. Think about it, even if you hire a commercial applicator you can still be held liable for misuse of pesticides on your property.