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Pest & Pesticide Information

General Information

• [.pdf] Pesticide Application Schedule
• Plant Pest & Diagnostic Lab submission instructions & forms
• Greenhouse Management Information

Pesticides, Life and Death in the Greenhouse

Greenhouse pests are a constant threat to the health of facility plants. They destroy tissue and spread disease. The following section provides information about the pesticide maintenance program.

We control pest populations by using a 15-week rotation of common pesticides. We use a single group of pesticides for three weeks in order eliminate pests with unique modes of killing. After three weeks, we switch to new pesticides with different modes of action to avoid resistance buildup in the next generations.

There are a few simple things that you can use to help reduce pests. Remove materials as soon as the experiment is complete. Plants growing in an ideal environment with no natural predators will eventually be taken over by greenhouse pests. A water stream of reasonably high pressure is very effective in removing mites, powdery mildew, and mealy bugs. If you see a pest, report it to the greenhouse staff.

Pest Maintenance Schedule

• Monday: Sticky traps are deployed on various benches in the greenhouse.
• Wednesday: Traps are analyzed, and a pest inventory of the entire greenhouse is taken. Pesticide strategy is developed, and greenhouse users are advised with the weekly email and signs posted at the entrance of each wing of the greenhouse.
• Thursday: Sometimes there are morning specialty applications. These usually occur at 7:00 am, and they are noted with small local signs. Larger advisory signs are created in the afternoon for each zone to be sprayed. The signs are hung on the doors of each zone, and the application is usually made after 5:00 pm.
• Friday: Users may reenter at 8:00 am when the signs are removed or modified if an extended reentry time is required.

The pesticide board recommends that facility users wear gloves when handling any plant material. You can bet that there is pesticide residue.

Using Herbicides in the HGRH

• Everyone who enters is WPS-trained.
• Everyone who uses the herbicide reads the label and complies with it.
• All pesticides and herbicides are stored in lab fume hood or fire cabinet of Tissue Culture Lab. Pesticide storage signs must be on these storage sites--we can help you buy (cheap)
• Applicator wears personal protective equipment (PPE) listed on label. You can use the PPE from our closet such as neopene gloves, chemical resistant apron (needed for mixing or cleaning equipment), and protective eyewear (face shield or goggles). Those need to be cleaned and put back in our storage--if that proves inconvenient we can help you order your own items and store yourselves. Also you can use the lab coats and boots we have as required on the label as "coveralls" and "chemical resistant footwear". Those you can keep stored in your area.
• Post a NO ENTRY sign during application and during the restricted entry interval (REI) of 12 hours. We'll provide the sign and I'd suggest we buy a holder that the NO ENTRY sign can slip in and out of quickly. If you do this roughly the same time each day, you'd put the times of application and re-entry but not the date. You could keep the sign in your closet or flip it around backwards in the holder when the REI is not in effect.
• Allow absolutely no entry during the application--simply lock the door. After the application is done, early entry is allowed for non-contact tasks with the plants and bench they are sitting on.
• Post an explanation of early entry after application is complete, like the yellow signs we post adjacent to the NO ENTRY signs. You could use one of ours.
• For contact with plants during the early entry, the same PPE must be worn as for applying.
• The NO ENTRY sign cannot be posted when no restriction applies, but we leave ours up all night if it expires during the night when no one is here. If you apply at 10am and it expires at 10pm, the sign could be removed/turned around first thing in the morning, then flipped back around when the applicator comes in to apply.
• Keep a record of all sprays where it can be accessed 24 hours a day. You can buy a binder and holder like ours and photocopy our blank forms.