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Pest-Control
Knowledge: More Important Than Ever Before, Expert Says
AUBURN, JAN. 11---While
the loss of two key pesticides will not be tragic for
consumers, it will mean they will have to be better informed when
buying pesticides in the future.
The two pesticides,
Dursban and Diazinon, are known as broad-spectrum pesticides,
meaning they are currently labeled for use on a wide variety of
insect pests.
"Both of these
chemicals were widely used by consumers for the very reason they
were broad-spectrum and didn’t require much knowledge to
use," says Dr. Wheeler Foshee, an Alabama Cooperative Extension
System pesticide education specialist.
The good news is there
are other insecticide alternatives available. The bad news is that
many of these insecticides are insect-specific rather than
broad-spectrum – meaning they can be used only on one insect
species.
"In some cases,
these alternatives will actually be more effective on pests,
although they will be more expensive, " Foshee says. "But
the biggest challenge to consumers will be following the directions
carefully and applying the product correctly."
For this reason,
consumers will have to be better educated than ever before about
pest-control options associated with turf, outdoor plants and home
gardens, he says.
"They’re going to
have to know more about the pest and be able to ask the right
questions when buying insecticides," says Foshee.
Dursban products no
longer will be available for sale as a home-insecticide product
after December 31, 2001, although consumers still will be able to
buy the product where inventories are still available.
Homeowners use Dursban
widely to control a lot of pests around the home, including spittlebugs, fall armyworms and grub insects. About 50 percent of Dursban
products are used in and around the home.
Dursban also will be
eliminated as a termiticide. Pest-control operators no longer will
be permitted to use the Dursban for termite control on
post-construction structures after this year. However,
preconstruction use will be permitted until the end of 2005.
Diazinon is widely used
on fireants as well as on many common home-and vegetable-garden
pests. About 75 percent of Diazinon currently is used in and around
the home and accounts for about 30 percent of the home insecticide
market.
Unlike Dursban, Diazinon
will be available for purchase at retail and home-garden centers
until 2003. However, the amount of Diazinon manufactured will be
decreased by 25 percent in 2002 and by 50 percent in 2003.
Consumers will be
permitted to use existing stocks of Diazinon and Dursban
according to label instructions.
The decision to phase
out Dursban and Diazinon was heavily impacted by the Food Quality
Protection Act, which seeks to assess the safety of insecticides
based on an individual’s aggregate exposure to these substances
from air, food, drinking water and other sources.
The regulation’s
exacting standards already have resulted in the losses of several
insecticides, and more losses are expected in the future.
(Dr.
Wheeler Foshee, Alabama Cooperative Extension System pesticide
education specialist, 334-844-5509.)
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