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News
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How to handle home use pesticides safely and wisely
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3/16/2011
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Article Content Suggested lead
Spring is here and Oregonians are migrating outdoors to work on lawns and gardens after a winter of neglect. For many, that means using pesticide products:
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This is the time of year the Oregon Department of Agriculture reminds homeowners of the right way to use pesticide products. The take home message, according to ODA's Roland Maynard, is to read the label instructions on the product:
MAYNARD: "It's important to read it, actually, several times, the first time being even before you purchase the product. You want to make sure you purchase the correct product and part of doing that is going to be reading the label at the store- not just trusting the store employees to give you the right product." :17
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That means doing some homework on what the problem is whether it's a plant disease or an insect pest. The label will tell you what product works best. Another thing to remember is that no matter how big the problem might be, more is not necessarily better when it comes to using pesticides:
MAYNARD: "When you apply too much, it's not usually much more effective, if at all. The second part of that is that it could kill things you don't want it to kill, like your lawn." :12
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Excess product can also run off and cause environmental hazards. Once again, the best thing to do is pay attention to that product label. It contains important information for homeowners prior to purchase, before it is applied, and after it is applied. Following the instructions allows for the safe use of a good and sometimes necessary tool for yard and garden care. In Salem, I'm Bruce Pokarney.
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MAYNARD says it's a good idea to do homework before purchasing a pesticide product. That helps you know what to buy and how much to buy:
"A common mistake a lot of consumers make is to purchase too much product because it's, quote, cheaper than the smaller container. They wind up storing these products or having a large amount of excess pesticide that they have to figure out what to do with for months, if not years, after you've purchased the product." :19
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MAYNARD says precautions should be made when storing unused pesticide products:
"One key thing is to never ever put pesticides in a food container or any container other than the original container it came with. It's very easy for someone to mistake a soda can that you filled with pesticides for actual soda." :16
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Full story
http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/110316pesticides.shtml |
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