IPM Manual for Home and Garden Pests in British Columbia
Glossary
Active ingredient – the ingredient in a pesticide formulation that has the pesticidal effect.
Aerosol pesticides – small, pressurised containers that release pesticides through a fine opening by the pressure of an inert gas under pressure. When the nozzle is triggered, it produces an extremely fine spray, mist or fog of tiny particles or droplets in the air.
Annual plant – a plant that germinates from seed, flowers, produces seed, and dies in the same year; it has a one-year life cycle.
Anticoagulant – a compound that prevents blood from clotting. A rat poisoned by an anti-coagulant rodenticide bleeds internally and usually dies.
Application rate – the amount of a pesticide product or active ingredient applied to a unit area, such as litres per square meter.
Bacteria – one-celled micro-organisms, some of which cause diseases in plants or animals. They can only be seen with a microscope.
Biological control – the use of beneficial species, such as predatory and parasitic insects, birds, nematodes, or disease organisms to suppress populations of pests.
Broadcast application – an even application of a pesticide over an entire area, as opposed to treating part of the area or only individual plants in the area.
Broad leafed plants – most annual and perennial plants, shrubs and trees with wide leaves. Not grasses, conifers or other plants with needles or grass-like leaves.
Broad spectrum pesticide – a pesticide that will kill, or affect, a wide range of organisms in addition to the target pests. The opposite of a selective pesticide.
Buffer zone – a strip of land between a pesticide free zone and the pesticide treatment area. Pesticides are not applied in the buffer zone; the width of the buffer zone is to ensure that no pesticides or pesticide residues reach the pesticide free zone, either by drifting in the air or moving with surface or ground water.
Calibrate – (1) to determine the amount of pesticide being applied through a nozzle of a sprayer, duster or granular applicator over a given area, (2) to mark a container or tank to indicate the volume at certain levels.
Cartridge filter (in a respirator mask) – a metal or plastic container filled with absorbent materials that filter fumes and vapours out of the air before they can be breathed by the wearer.
Caterpillar – generally the larval, or immature (2nd) stage of moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera).
Caustic – a corrosive chemical that can burn the skin.
Concentrate – opposite of dilute. Concentrated pesticide formulations need to be diluted, usually with water, before use.
Contact pesticide – a compound that causes the death of an organism when it comes in contact with it; the pesticide does not need to be eaten or inhaled by the organism to be effective.
Days to harvest – the minimum number of days, as stated on a pesticide label, that must be allowed after the final pesticide application before edible crops can be harvested; also called the pre-harvest interval.
Deciduous plants – plants that lose their leaves in the fall and have bare branches in the winter.
Dilute – to make the strength of a mixture weaker, less concentrated; for example, by adding more water to a pesticide mixture.
Dormant/dormancy – the seasonal halt to visible plant growth, usually for the winter season.
Drift – with respect to pesticides, this is the movement of pesticide droplets or dust, by wind or air currents, onto areas outside the target treatment area.
Emulsifiable concentrate –a liquid pesticide concentrate that is made with an emulsifier to mix well with water to make a spray.
Exposure – with respect to pesticides, this is when someone comes in contact with a pesticide, through the skin, by mouth or by breathing it in.
Formulation – a mixture of active ingredient(s) with carriers, spreaders or other materials, to improve the storage, mixing and/or application properties of a product.
Fungi – A group of often microscopic organisms lacking chlorophyll (green colouring); they grow from microscopic spores. Many fungi cause plant diseases, such as rots, rusts, mildews and blights; some species of fungi attack wood or cause decay in buildings. (Singular: fungus)
Fungicide – a pesticide used to control fungi that cause plant diseases.
Granular pesticides – a pesticide incorporated into tiny beads of clay or other materials to make relatively coarse particles; they are applied dry using a spreader, seeder or special applicator.
Grub – the larval stage of some beetles.
Herbicide – a pesticide used to kill plants and control vegetation.
Host – with respect to pests, hosts are the living organisms that a pest or parasite depends upon for survival.
Insects – an enormous group of organisms, in which the adults have a body divided into three segments (head, thorax and abdomen), with 3 pairs of legs and 1-2 pairs of wings (if present) attached to the thorax.
Insecticide – a pesticide used to kill or repel insects.
Integrated pest management – a decision making process for managing pest populations that uses a combination of techniques: it includes preventing pest problems, identification, monitoring, use of injury thresholds for decisions, a combination of controls (physical, mechanical, biological, and chemical), and an evaluation step.
Larva – the immature, second life stage of an insect; a larva hatches from an egg; most are worm-like, such caterpillars, maggots and grubs. Many pest insects cause the most damage in the larval stage, particularly those that eat plants. (Plural: larvae).
Maggot – the larval stage of flies and midges (Order Diptera). Maggots are legless.
Mites – minute animals having eight legs in the adult stage. There are harmful and beneficial species. Closely related to spiders.
Miticide – a pesticide used to kill or repel mites.
Mode of action – the way a pesticide works to kill pests. For example, a poison that works on contact or as a stomach poison.
Molluscs – a group of soft-bodied animals, most of which live in water and have shells, such as clams, oysters and mussels; snails and slugs are common land living molluscs.
Molluscicide – a pesticide used to control snails and slugs (molluscs).
Mucous membrane – the lining of the nose, throat and other cavities of the body that open to the exterior.
Nematodes – a group of elongated, cylindrical worms, also called thread-worms or eel-worms. Some species attack roots or leaves of plants, others are parasites on animals or insects.
Non-persistent pesticide – a product that breaks down almost immediately after application into non-toxic compounds, or only lasts for a few days before breaking down.
Non-selective pesticide – a product that kills or controls a wide range of organisms or related organisms; for example, a non-selective herbicide is one that would kill any plant.
Parasite – an organism that lives in or on the body of another organism and obtains nourishment from it.
Perennial – a plant that continues to live from year to year. The tops may die back in winter or in drought, but the roots or rhizomes persist to resume growing in favourable conditions.
Pests – living organisms, such as insects, weeds, fungi, rodents, and others, that cause damage, irritation or are otherwise troublesome or harmful.
Pesticide – any substance or material, other than a device, that is sold or used to destroy, repel or manage a pest.
Phytotoxic – Damaging or injurious to plants, often by destroying the protective surface on plant leaves.
Post-emergence – after seedlings emerge from the soil surface.
Pre-emergence – before seedlings emerge from the soil surface.
Predator – a living organism that preys upon another animal. Many birds are predators of insects; many species of insects and mites prey upon other insects.
Pupa – the stage between the larva stage and the adult in insects that undergo complete metamorphosis; a non-feeding and usually an inactive stage. (Plural: pupae)
Ready-to-use pesticide – a pre-mixed or pre-diluted product for use as it comes in from the container.
Repellent – a compound that drives pests away from a treated object, area or individual.
Residual pesticides – products that continue to have a killing or repellent effect for a period of weeks or months after application.
Respirator – a device worn over the nose and mouth to prevent the wearer from inhaling harmful substances.
Rodenticide – a pesticide used to control rats, mice or other rodents.
Selective pesticide – a material that destroys or repels a limited group of organisms; for example, a selective herbicide may kill broad leafed weeds in a lawn, without injuring the grass plants.
Spot treatment – an application of a pesticide to small, specific areas, such as individual plants or areas less than 15-20 cm2 in size as opposed to a broadcast treatment.
Sterilant – a non-selective chemical that kills any organisms; soil sterilant pesticides stop the germination of seeds and growth of plants, usually for long periods of time after application.
Structural pests – organisms that can cause damage in or around homes, buildings, or other structures (for example, termites, carpenter ants, rodents and decay fungi).
Systemic pesticide – a product that is absorbed into the plant and moves through the plant tissues; for example, a systemic insecticide can move throughout a plant to kill sucking insects.
Thatch – in lawns, this is a layer of dead plant material at the roots of the grasses; a certain amount is beneficial in protecting roots from heat, cold and drought, whereas a thick layer smothers roots and blocks fertilizer and water from reaching the soil.
Toxic – able to poison a living organism; poisonous.
Toxicity – the degree to which substance is poisonous or injurious to a plant or animal. Toxicity is one consideration in assessing the hazard in handling a particular pesticide.
|
