Precautions with Pesticides:
Application Procedures

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Table of Contents

1. Sprayers
2. Fumigants (Gases, Vapours and Fumes/Smokes)
3. Band Spraying
4. Seed Treatments
5. Aerial Application by Airplane of Helicopter
6. Precautions with Pesticide Tables
   • Pesticide Schedules in Ontario (Pesticide Regulations)
   • Safety Supply Companies in Ontario Providing Protective Clothing & Equipment (Table 1-1)
   • Pesticides Act Storage Requirements (Table 1-2)
7. Other topics on Precautions with Pesticides
   • Pesticide Regulations
   • Certification and Training Requirements
   • General Precautions
   • Read and Follow Pesticide Label Information
   • Human Health
   • Protective Clothing and Equipment
   • Protect the Environment
   • Disposal of Pesticides and Empty Pesticide Containers
   • Storing Pesticides
   • Pesticide Spills
   • Application Procedures
   • Precautions with Pesticide Tables
     • Pesticide Schedules in Ontario (Pesticide Regulations)
     • Safety Supply Companies in Ontario Providing Protective Clothing & Equipment (Table 1-1)
     • Pesticides Act Storage Requirements (Table 1-2)
8. Related Links

Sprayers

• Sprayers that can deliver enough litres per hectare for adequate coverage are satisfactory for applying emulsion-type insecticides.
• If 2,4-D or related herbicides are used, clean the sprayers thoroughly with detergent containing ammonia to prevent crop damage.
• Adequate agitation is essential when applying wettable powder formulations.
• Pumps should be capable of delivering the flow and pressure required as well as being compatible with materials sprayed.
• Keep in mind that the higher the pressure, the greater the danger of drift to other crops.
• Calibrate your sprayer at least twice during the growing season with each set of nozzles used. The wear on nozzles and other parts will alter the amount of spray delivered.
• Check all nozzles for flow rate at least once a year. Replace nozzles when their output is 10% greater than rated output.
• For information on calibration, see Application Technology in OMAFRA Guide to Weed Control. Also see OMAFRA Sprayer Calibration Calculator on the OMAFRA website

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General Precautions and Requirements for Fumigants (Gases, Vapours and Fumes/Smokes)

Read and follow all instructions on the product label regarding protective clothing and equipment, aeration of treated areas, and re-entry periods.

• Lock the building and post warning signs.
• If you use a fumigant gas such as methyl bromide plus chloropicrin or aluminum phosphide to fumigate a structure you must hold the appropriate license and obtain a permit issued under Ontario's Pesticides Act. To apply for a permit, contact the regional pesticides officer with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.
• As a safety precaution, have someone else who is wearing personal protective equipment help with the fumigation. (This is a requirement for all fumigant gas use.)
• When you handle methyl bromide, do not wear gloves. You must wear a self-contained positive pressure breathing apparatus.
• When you handle aluminum phosphide, use cotton gloves and wear a full-face mask respirator with an acid gas canister, or a self-contained positive-pressure breathing apparatus.

For more information, obtain Structural Fumigation Procedures (September 1998 edition) from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

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Band Spraying

Check the product label under Directions for Use. Some labels give specific nozzle recommendations and formulas to determine band application rates.

When banding pesticides, apply the recommended rate over the strip of row you wish to treat. Banding does not result in a more concentrated spray mixture. It does allow you to cover more area with the same amount used in a broadcast application.

To know how much to mix, you will first need to calculate the size of the entire treated area. To calculate the total area of all the treated bands:

Total Area of Bands (ha or acres) =
(Total area of the planted field (ha or acres) x band width (cm or in)) ÷ row spacing (cm or in)

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Seed Treatments

Treated seed products are also pesticides. They are poisonous to people and animals.

Wear protective clothing and equipment when you are treating seed or handling treated seed. Protect your skin. Wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants or coveralls and wear neoprene or nitrile gloves. Protect your eyes with goggles and/or a face shield. Wear a respirator to protect your lungs from dusts and vapours.

Wash thoroughly after finishing the treatment or handling the treated seed. Never feed treated seed to animals. Keep treated seed out of the reach of children.

Destroy all the bags that have held treated seed as recommended in the section Disposal of Pesticides and Empty Pesticide Containers, on page 8.

See Table 1-7, Seed Treatments, on page 12, for a list of seed treatments recommended in this publication.

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Aerial Application by Airplane of Helicopter

Any person who applies pesticide from an aircraft in Ontario must hold an aerial exterminator licence. In addition, a permit is required to purchase and apply pesticides by air for the following:

• applications to surface water, e.g. ponds, lakes, rivers (exceptions in some cases)
• applications to forests as defined in the Crown Forest Sustainability Act
• applications of any Schedule 1 or 5 pesticide or a Schedule 2 pesticide containing 2,4-D, 2,4-DB, mecoprop, MCPA, MCPB, dichlorprop, dicamba, picloram, paraquat or trichlopyr except when applications are made to agricultural land.

Be sure that any pesticide you apply by air has specific instructions for aerial use on the label.

Take extra precautions when using insecticides applied by air that are toxic to honeybees.

See Table 1-8, Fungicides, and Table 1-9, Insecticides, for a list of the fungicides and insecticides recommended for Field Crops.

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Related Links

• Publication 75, Guide to Weed Control
• Publication 812, Field Crop Protection Guide
• PMRA website

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