“WHAT’S HAPPENING?”

The University of Tennessee/Agricultural Extension Service

Entomology & Plant Pathology - EPP #60

August 18, 2006

EPA Publishes Regulation Establishing Standards for Pesticide Containers and Containment

By Gene Burgess

EPA has published its final rule establishing standards for pesticide containers and containment. The rule establishes standards for refillable and nonrefillable containers, including design specifications for rinsing, durability, and standardized closures. It requires pesticide labels to provide instructions on how to properly clean containers before disposal or recycling. The rule also establishes standards for secondary containment structures at certain agricultural storage sites and for containment pads at certain agricultural pesticide dispensing operations.

The rule affects registrants, distributors, dealers, commercial applicators, and custom blenders but does not extend to containment at individual farms. The rule is intended to ensure that pesticide containers can be safely and effectively rinsed before recycling or disposal. It is intended to promote the safe refill and reuse of refillable containers and to ensure that large quantities of agricultural pesticides will be stored and transferred under conditions that prevent spills and releases of pesticides into the environment. Additional information about the rule and who is affected by the rule is available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/containers.htm.

Taken from EPA Pesticide Program Update 8\16\06

Pesticide Program Announces Risk Management Decisions for Copper (cupric ion)

By Gene Burgess

EPA has determined that the agricultural uses of copper-containing pesticide products are eligible for reregistration provided that data needs are addressed, certain risk mitigation measures are adopted, and labels are amended accordingly.

The Agency has determined that there are no dietary, residential or occupational risks of concern resulting from exposure to copper products. Based on conservative assumptions on how coppers were applied to assess potential exposure to non-target organisms, EPA’s ecological assessment indicated that copper can pose acute risks to various organisms, with the greatest risk to certain aquatic species resulting from direct applications and runoff from fields adjacent to water bodies. Based on information from the user community that indicated that most typical use rates are significantly lower than the labeled maximum use rates, the manufacturers have agreed to refine their pesticide labels by reducing application rates, defining application intervals, and determining seasonal maximum application rates.

Copper pesticides (copper or cupric ion) are extensively used in various agricultural settings including citrus, tree nuts, tomato, pepper, grape, berries and peach. Copper is a broad-spectrum fungicide used on many food and ornamental crops, aquaculture, and also is used to control algae, aquatic weeds, bacteria, and mollusks. The continued use of copper pesticides on agricultural crops to control fungus and bacteria is significant because such products are generally cost-effective, broad-spectrum, and in some cases the only available pesticide to manage the target pests. Coppers are also among the few pesticides that are permitted for use on crops with organic certifications. Copper-based pesticides are also used around the home as garden and lawn fungicides and as root-killers in sewer systems. Coppers are also registered for antimicrobial applications, including uses as an anti-foulant and preservative on wood and other materials.

Taken from EPA Pesticide Program Update 8\16\06

Public Comment Period Open for Tolerance Reassessment Decision for Ethylene Oxide Pesticide

By Gene Burgess

EPA has concluded its tolerance reassessment for the pesticide ethylene oxide (ETO) and has determined that with certain exposure mitigation measures, there is reasonable certainty that no harm to people will result from dietary or bystander exposure to ETO or its reaction products, ethylene chlorohydrin (ECH) and ethylene glycol (EG). Therefore, the four tolerances (maximum allowable residue limits) established for ETO are now considered reassessed as safe under federal law.

ETO is used in the U.S. for commercial fumigation/sterilization, mostly for sterilizing medical and laboratory items/equipment. A much smaller use is for fumigating herbs and spices, and black walnuts. ETO residues decline rapidly after sterilization and are unlikely to be found in spices available for consumption. To alleviate potential dietary risk concerns for basil, the registrants submitted voluntary cancellation requests for this use. Additional mitigation includes the use of new technology to reduce residues on other herbs, spices and walnuts. The registrants have agreed to amend their labels to mandate use of such methods.

In a Notice of Availability published August 9 in the Federal Register (http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-PEST/2006/August/Day-09/p12906.htm), the Agency is announcing a 60-day comment period, ending October 10, 2006, for interested parties to respond to this risk management decision.

Taken from EPA Pesticide Program Update 8\16\06

Hornworms on Tobacco

by Gene Burgess

The first generation of hornworms have been a problem in some tobacco fields. The hornworm can continue being a problem, because the second brood of tobacco hornworms can be very destructive. Eggs can be laid from early August through early September with the larvae feeding through mid-September. This creates the potential for lots of feeding damage from topping time until plants are taken to the barn. So, once topping has taken place all of your insect problems are over. One well-timed insecticide application may reduce feeding significantly but may not protect tobacco if egg-laying continues for several weeks. Check tobacco about a week before harvest so that a "clean up" spray can be applied if necessary. Be sure to check the harvest interval and restricted entry interval on the product you use. Cutting before this interval has passed can mean insecticide residues above the legal tolerance level.

The number of hornworms present can be determined by carefully examining groups of 10 plants at randomly selected locations over a field. Use a minimum of 6 locations per acre. Hornworms feed in the upper 1/3 of the plant and can be found on the underside of the leaf. In August and September many of them may have small, white, football-shaped objects on their backs. These are cocoons of a tiny wasp that develops inside the hornworm and kills it. Hornworms with these cocoons should not be included in your counts because they are no longer feeding.

Two species, the tobacco hornworm and the tomato hornworm, occur in Kentucky. The tobacco hornworm, the more common of the two, has 7 oblique white stripes on each side of the body and a curved, red horn. The tomato hornworm has 8 V-shaped stripes on each side and a straight, black horn. The life cycle, damage, and activity period of both is so similar that, for management purposes, they can be lumped together.

Blister Beetles

by Gene Burgess

Blister beetles may be seen in the field and can be a problem with reference to horses. They feed on a wide range of plants including alfalfa, clover, soybean, potato, tomato, and eggplant and are especially attracted to flowers. Like the Japanese beetle, feeding by a few blister beetles draws in more. Large numbers of beetles can cluster on small patches of flowering plants in an otherwise uninfested field. This can result in infested hay. Blister beetles contain cantharadin, a chemical that is very toxic to horses. This has not a big problem in Tennessee but has its potentials.

Harvest management is an important means of reducing the generally low potential for blister beetle contamination. Cutting on a schedule that keeps alfalfa and weeds from producing the flowers is effective. This results in high quality hay and keeps beetles at a minimum. However, if fields with lots or feeding blister beetles are cut and the hay is crimped or crushed, dead beetles in the hay can make it highly toxic to horses.

Fields can be checked for blister beetles before harvest. All areas with flowering plants should be checked because of the clumped nature of blister beetle aggregations. Sickle bar mowers and some circular or rotary mowers lay the hay down without crushing many beetles. Blister beetles have a behavioral characteristic that may be used against them. When plants are disturbed, they fall to the ground. As the hay dries and cures, the beetles will leave the drying hay.

The black blister beetle (jet black) and the margined blister beetle (black with thin gray stripe around wing covers) are common species in Tennessee. They have long (3/4" to 1-1/4"), narrow bodies, broad heads, and antennae that are about 1/3 the length of the entire body. The front wings are soft and flexible in contrast to the hard front wings of most beetles.

Female blister beetles lay clusters of eggs in the soil in late summer. The small, active larvae that hatch from these eggs crawl over the soil surface entering cracks in search for grasshopper egg pods which are deposited in the soil. After finding the eggmass, blister beetle larvae become immobile and spend the rest of their developmental time as legless grubs. Blister beetles will not lay eggs in hay and the larvae do not.

Chemical Company Purchase

by Gene Burgess

KMG Chemicals has purchased Boehringer Ingelheim’s U.S. insecticide product line. As of August 1, 2006 KMG will be providing familiar insecticide products such as Patriot & Stocker insecticide ear tags, as well as Clean-Up pour-on insecticide, and Permectrin, Vapona, Rabon and Ravap insecticides.

KMG has received EPA approval to market the first new class of chemistry to be developed in the insecticide ear tag since the introduction of Terminator in 1987. This new tag will be officially launched for the 2007 season under the trade name Avenger.

Tobacco Insect Control

by Gene Burgess

There are several insecticides available for foliar insects on tobacco. If an insecticide is necessary this late in the season be sure to observe the preharvest intervals on the label. For example the highest PHIs are Warrior = 40 days, Denim, Actara and Fulfill = 14 days.

Thiodan (endosulfan) does not have a preharvest interval. But, due to a potential residue problem, a single application of Thiodan is recommended early in the season. We do not recommend it be applied within 28 days before harvest or after the button stage.

Carbofuran and Lindane - Loss

by Darrell Hensley

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on August 3, 2006, that it is proposing to cancel all uses of the pesticide carbofuran and to revoke the associated tolerances (legal residue limits on food). The agency announced today its conclusion that there are considerable risks associated with carbofuran in food and drinking water, risks to pesticide applicators and risks to birds that are exposed in treated fields.

"Whether planting crops, de-bugging a home, working in the garden, or just sitting down at the dinner table, Americans everywhere can now be assured the pesticides used in the U.S. meet the highest health standards in the world," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By maintaining the highest ethical and scientific standards in its pesticide review, EPA and the Bush Administration have planted the seeds to yield healthier lives for generations of American families."

"EPA is committed to moving America away from high-risk pesticides to newer, safer alternatives that deliver results, while ensuring the public, pesticide applicators, and the environment are protected," said Jim Gulliford, assistant administrator for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances at EPA.

EPA is proposing to immediately cancel the majority of carbofuran uses. A four-year phase-out is being proposed for six, minor agricultural uses, which will provide time to find effective alternatives.

The decisions on carbofuran and lindane are the latest accomplishments achieved under the Food Quality Protection Act. Over the last decade, EPA significantly restricted uses of formerly widely used pesticides such as: Chlorpyrifos (Dursban), CCA (Copper Chromated Arsenate), DDVP, Diazinon, Methyl Parathion and others.

Americans today can be confident that pesticides used in this country continue to meet the highest health and safety standards in the world. Source: EPA, U.S. Continues to Set Bar on Pesticide Safety.

Chemical Security Bill Fight Taken to the Floor

by Darrell Hensley

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged colleagues Tuesday to proceed with Senate floor action on a chemical security bill, saying differences should be debated on the Senate floor.

The bill, which her committee approved unanimously in June, has been bogged down over objections from more than a dozen senators. It would give the Homeland Security Department the authority, for the first time, to regulate and establish security standards for facilities that produce, use or store chemical substances, and penalize facilities that do not comply.

Collins asked that several issues be resolved before the bill came to the floor. Source: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0806/060206cdam2.htm.

Modified from what was originally written by Chris Strohm, CongressDaily

Cattle Grubs

by Gene Burgess

If cattle grubs are historically a problem on your farm, July 31 - October 31 (no later than 6 weeks prior to expected appearance of grubs in the back) is the time to control this pest. Cattle grub damage to muscle and hide requires extra trimming of carcasses and decreases the value of hides. Grubby carcasses are routinely docked by packers. Cattle grub control is a part of producing quality steers for the feedlot. While the damage (cysts or swellings long the back line) will not show up for several months, control measures must be applied to Tennessee cattle between early to mid-summer and October 31 to kill the pests without harming the animal.

Depending upon the species, cattle grub larvae move either to the espophagus (common cattle grub) or spinal column (northern cattle grub) during their migration to the back. The grub larvae are in these sensitive areas during November and December. If large grubs are killed there, the surrounding tissue can become severely inflamed and additional symptoms can develop.

In animals infested with the common cattle grub, the esophagus can swell shut, and produce difficulty swallowing, drooling, or bloat. Northern cattle grubs killed in the region of the spine can put pressure on the spinal column. This results in stiffness in the hind quarters, loss of balance, or inability to lift the hind feet.

Be careful when treating for grubs. Use accurate weight estimates to determine the proper dose. Undertreating may not provide satisfactory control. Overtreatment will waste money; and it may cause the animal to become sick.

There are a variety of formulations of cattle grub insecticides. Pour On or Spot On products are convenient if good handling facilities are available. High pressure sprays are an alternative when chutes or working pens are not an option. Animals must be wet to the skin when high pressure sprays are used. Products for internal parasite control, such as Cydectin, Dectomax, or Ivomec, also will control cattle grubs. When these products, are applied, there is no need to treat with an insecticide too. See the 2006 Insect and Plant Disease Control Manual for control measures.

OTHER UT NEWSLETTERS WITH PEST MANAGEMENT INFORMATION

Fruit Pest News

http://web.utk.edu/~extepp/fpn/fpn.htm

Tennessee Crop and Pest Management Newsletter

http://www.utextension.utk.edu/fieldCrops/cotton/cotton_insects/ipmnewsletters.htm

This and other "What's Happening" issues can be found at http://web.utk.edu/~extepp/whatshap.htm

Precautionary Statement

To protect people and the environment, pesticides should be used safely. This is everyone’s responsibility, especially the user. Read and follow label directions carefully before you buy, mix, apply, store or dispose of a pesticide. According to laws regulating pesticides, they must be used only as directed by the label.

Disclaimer

This publication contains pesticide recommendations that are subject to change at any time. The recommendations in this publication are provided only as a guide. It is always the pesticide applicator's responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label directions for the specific pesticide being used. The label always takes precedence over the recommendations found in this publication.

Use of trade or brand names in this publication is for clarity and information; it does not imply approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may be of similar, suitable composition, nor does it guarantee or warrant the standard of the product. The author(s), the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and University of Tennessee Extension assume no liability resulting from the use of these recommendations.

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