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Pesticides
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Responsible Practices
Professional lawn care practices most likely will involve the use of pest control products based on a particular turf grass problem. To avoid risks to lawn applicators, the environment, homeowners, or pets, these pest control products are to be handled properly and applied according to label instructions. New York State professional lawn care applicators use many of the same active ingredient pest control products homeowners do. These products are available off-the-shelf in garden and hardware stores.
Lawn care operators are professional in their knowledge of how to apply these everyday-type products based on turf grass varieties, weed varieties, pest life cycle stage, insect activity levels, and / or weather conditions. New York State requires licensing of companies and applicators performing lawn application services. They must meet on-going certification requirements to maintain a valid pesticide applicator license.
Responsible Pesticide Use
It's important to remember pesticides in Lawn Care are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and by authorities in states where they are used. Normally only 1 in 20,000 compounds, commonly costing $50 million or more, and requiring at least 10 years of rigorous testing and reviews, will make it to the market. For children, pets - your family and neighbors, can feel at ease because even with incidental contact from these materials, any health concerns should be remote or non-existent. And interestingly, numerous outdoor pesticides are medicines too! Examples: Lindane used for spider mites, also in shampoo to control body lice; Myconasol or Mycotin to combat turf fungus, - in a cream controls athlete's foot; Streptomycin and Oxytetracycine for turf disease, are used as antibiotics to control strept-throat and tuberculosis; and Warfarin, a rodent control, is likewise a blood thinner to reduce clotting, especially for vein thrombosis. Also for pets, i.e. Merit (Imidacloprid) possibly now the most widely used subsurface grub larvae turf insecticide (very low dose, very low toxicity) is the same exact ingredient used at 9 times the strength (over turf) for control of fleas and skin/hair insects on pets (Advantage, trade name by Bayer). Also, F.Y.I., commercial lawn care applicators may get 10,000 times more potential exposure than customers; and yet, studies show applicators actually have less short and long term adverse health effects. In fact, applicators technicians are among the healthiest people in society!
Unfortunately, a false perception form misinformation has arise in some of the media to cast doubt over pesticide use. To us, the facts and the truth are all that matter. Reputable, authoritative science is 'going our way' in support of continued judicious use of pesticides in lawn care.
Click on the Links Below to Access Information Packets on Various Issues Surrounding Pesticide Use
The files are in .pdf format. You must have Adobe Acrobat installed on your printer to view and print. If you don't have Acrobat, click here to go the Adobe site for a free download
POSITION ON CURRENT ISSUES AFFECTING LAWN CARE
QandA.pdf
Physicians and scientists talk frankly about pests, pesticide safety and protecting kids
AESTHETIC USE OF PESTICIDES FOR LAWN CARE
Factsheet.pdf
Don't let this happened to OUR INDUSTRY by banning aesthetic use of plant protective pesticides. Results would be ugly and environmentally degrading.
Needtoknow.PDF
Good news! 50 years of use, research, and testing show a high safety record for humans, pets and for the environment.
NEIGHBOR NOTIFICATION FOR SPRAY TREATMENTS - IS IT NECCESSAY?
48HOURQandA.PDF
Questions - Need to be answered about 48 HR. notification
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