Spring has sprung and many Alabamians are heading for their gardens, ready to plant and prune their way to those beautiful May flowers.But just as sure as there will be dirt and sunshine to make those gardens grow, gardeners are bound to encounter plenty of pests attacking the fruits of their labors. To combat them, most gardeners will arm themselves with pesticides.

While they are essential to healthy gardens, pesticides should be used carefully, says Dr. Wheeler Foshee, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System specialist in pesticide education.

Foshee recommends several tips for handling pesticides safely. For starters, he says, buy only what you need.

“Be a smart shopper and buy only as much pesticide as you need to do the job,” he says. “Identify the pest to be controlled and match a pesticide product to it. Make sure you don’t target beneficial pests. Target pests are listed on the product’s label. Calculate the amount of pesticide you’ll need before you purchase the product, then apply only the recommended amount. Don’t use more than is recommended.”

Foshee says gardeners should be careful when mixing liquid pesticides.

“Always read the label before you begin to measure it,” he says. “Make sure to put on appropriate safety equipment, such as eye protection, rubber gloves, a long-sleeved shirt and pants, before opening the container. Again, measure only the proper amount required – do not overuse.”

Foshee says to fill a sprayer with two-thirds the amount of water needed, then add the measured pesticide product.

“Rinse the measuring container, and pour the rinse water into the sprayer,” he says. “Fill the sprayer with the required amount of water, and spray on the target plant or site.”

Make sure you apply the spray or granules only to the target plant or site, being careful not to apply it to driveways, sidewalks or other hard surfaces, Foshee says.

“If the label says the product has to be watered in, apply only enough water to move the pesticide into the ground,” he says. “Stop watering when puddling occurs. Avoid pesticide runoff away from the target site; it can enter our groundwater and waterways. Don’t apply pesticides if rainfall is expected within six to eight hours.”

Unused pesticides should be stored in their original containers and kept in cool, locked locations, safely out of the reach of children.

When disposing of empty pesticide containers, rinse them three times with water and pour the rinse water into the sprayer. Do not insert a hose into the container, Foshee says. Spray the rinse water on the target plant or site – never pour it down a drain.

Clean the sprayer by flushing the inside with fresh water, then spraying the flush water on the target plant or site. Finally, wrap the container in newspaper and throw it away; don’t recycle it. If you have pesticide left over, Foshee recommends sharing it with a gardening friend who will use it properly.

“The proper use of pesticides is a valuable pest management tool that can protect against disease, weeds and insect pests,” he says. “But home gardeners need to make sure they use these products properly to protect public health and the environment.”

Bookmark Me

The next time you are doused with water after passing a produce stand at the grocery store, don’t be upset: It may protect you from food-borne illness. For many years, grocery stores have applied light sprays to fruits and vegetables. In the past, this routine chore typically was entrusted to a produce-area employee, usually equipped with a spray bottle. Today, it is most likely done with an automated spray located directly above the produce that activates periodically.

Several decades ago, grocery stores sprayed vegetables with only one aim in mind: to keep them fresh.

Today, the purpose is most often twofold: to keep the produce fresh and safe. And that is why sprays today are likely to be a mixture of both water and chlorine.

Following several outbreaks of severe foodborne illness in recent years, scientists have learned that chlorine sprays are an effective safeguard against harmful food pathogens.

A recent study by the University of Georgia’s Department of Food Science and Technology reveals that simple chlorinated sprays, whether used at the grocery store or home, are effective in killing food pathogens.

Indeed, the use of chlorinated sprays is a practice not only limited to grocery stores. Many food-processing facilities, especially poultry plants, routinely incorporate chlorine sprays as an integral part of the food-processing chain.

Even so, chlorine sprays, while effective, are no panacea, and that is why experts still recommend consumers take extra precautions after bringing home the produce.

“Chlorinated water will reduce bacteria, but it will not kill everything,” says Dr. Jean Weese, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System food scientist. “In research projects, we’ve soaked vegetables in chlorinated water for an hour, and they still come out with some bacteria.”

That, Weese says, is the reason why consumers still need to be extra cautious when handling raw fruits and vegetables in the home.

First, the produce should be washed thoroughly.

Second, if you live with someone with a weak immune system, such as an AIDS patient, elderly person or infant, you also should consider peeling the produce. Peeling removes about 99 percent of pathogens.

Even then, you’re not completely home free, Weese says.

As an extra precaution, she also recommends wiping countertops and cutting boards where raw foods been prepared.

“Any sort of raw food, whether produce or meats, carry the threat of foodborne illness,” Weese says.

“Before removing a raw product off a countertop, for example, you definitely need to make sure the surface has been wiped with a chlorine solution before placing something else, such as a baby pacifier, on it,” she adds. “Otherwise, you may be placing someone in your family at risk of exposure to foodborne pathogens.”

Studies also have shown the kitchen is one of the primary sources of foodborne illness. They reveal, for example, that almost 67 percent of kitchen sponges may be contaminated with fecal bacteria.

In addition, 82 percent of sink faucets are contaminated during food preparation.

Still, despite all these risks, research reveals the vast majority of Americans are not heeding these warnings. Roughly 60 percent of consumers do not wash the cutting board after cutting raw meat and before preparing fresh fruits and vegetables.

Worldwide death rates associated with foodborne illness continue to mount.

In the United States, for example, deaths from infectious diseases have increased by 58 percent since 1990 – all the more reason, Weese says, why Americans should heed the warnings of food scientists and adopt safer hygienic practices in the kitchen and throughout the home.

Bookmark Me

When there are holes dotting your prize rose bush leaves or an army of worms setting up camp on your tomatoes, don’t immediately pull out the pesticides. There may be a safer, easier way to handle pests in your yard or garden.

Dr. Wheeler Foshee, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System specialist in pesticide education, says there are many alternatives to using pesticides around your home.

The first step is to know the enemy. In other words, Foshee says, know your bugs.

“I strongly encourage homeowners and gardeners to educate themselves about insects so they will recognize both the beneficial ones and the pests,” he says. “You need to be able to accurately identify the insect to know if it’s causing a problem. We often get calls about ladybeetle larvae, but they’re actually beneficial insects that eat aphids. Unfortunately, many gardeners mistake them for pests and spray them.”

Information on insects is available at your local county Extension office, he says. Insect guidebooks may also be found at your local library.

Once you know what you’re up against, consider ways to deal with those pests, he says.

“Many times there are effective ways to control damaging insects without using pesticides,” Foshee says. “For example, it’s easy to pick off and squash tomato hornworms, and that’s more environmentally friendly than spraying a pesticide. Once you know what kind of insect you’re dealing with, you may find you don’t have to do anything. The occasional grasshopper in your garden really isn’t a problem and can be ignored.”

But pests such as fruitworms on your tomatoes may require the use of an insecticide.

“If you have an insect pest that must be controlled and you can’t successfully manage the problem in ways such as picking the pests off by hand, then you may need to use some kind of chemical control,” Foshee says. “But be sure you do your homework before using any pesticide.”

Foshee says all pesticide containers have labels on them containing strict usage guidelines that must be followed when using the product.

“Labels on pesticides are a federal law,” he says. “You must mix and apply that pesticide as the label states. You can only apply it to plants or sites that are named on the label. If you mix or apply it in any way inconsistent with the label, you are breaking federal law. Those guidelines are there to protect people, animals and the environment as a whole. For the public health’s sake, they must be followed carefully.”

But before turning to chemicals, Foshee recommends gardeners check into alternative methods of pest control. Information on these methods is available at your local county Extension office.

“More and more, agricultural producers are turning to an approach known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM),” he says. “IPM is the concept of controlling pests with a variety of methods, such as relying on beneficial insects to control pest numbers, planting resistant varieties or using mechanical controls. I believe many homeowners can incorporate these techniques and will find them to be effective in battling insects in the yard or garden.”

Bookmark Me