If you choose to apply a pesticide, you should wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, long sleeved shirt and pants, or coveralls. Depending on the product and individual sensitivity to pesticides, you may also need to wear a respirator, goggles or rain suit. Check the label for additional precautions.
If you are spraying food crops, make sure you check the days to harvest. For example, if the label says "Do not apply to cabbage within 30 days of harvest," this means that the cabbage cannot be harvested until 30 days have passed since the time of spraying. If you harvest prior to this, you run the risk of having pesticide residues remaining in the food. Never apply any pesticide to a food crop that is not listed on the label.
Pesticides are one of several tools available to us to help control pests in the home and garden. There are many alternatives to using pesticides and these should be used whenever possible. Sometimes it may be necessary, however, to use a pesticide. There are three main classes of pesticides in Canada.
The pesticides that farmers or other licensed applicators use are more concentrated. Because of this, there may be a greater risk to the person during mixing and loading. However, once it is mixed according to the label rate and applied to the crop, the same amount of pesticide is applied as the application rate for domestic class pesticides. NEVER double up on pesticide rates as you may damage the plant or leave residues in the crop.