Pesticides in the Environment

Question 1

List four ways pesticides are transported (moved) in the environment:

Answer 1

1: Leaching
2: Runoff
3: Particle Drift (carried by wind)
4: Volatilization Drift (when a solid or liquid turns into a gaseous state and drifts)

Question 2

List four ways pesticides are transformed (changed) in the environment:

Answer 2

1: Absorption (movement of pesticide into plants)
2: Photo-decomposition (sunlight induced transformation that causes breakdown)
3: Microbial Decomposition (most common, micro-organisms use pesticide as food source, causing degradation)
4: Chemical Breakdown (reaction with water, hydrolysis, that breaks down pesticide)

Question 3

List three ways you can control pests while preventing and minimizing negative impacts on the environment and non-target species:

Answer 3

1: consider least harmful pesticide i.e use a replacement if needed
2: Use Adjuvants
3: Use thickeners

Question 4

Describe three ways that pesticides may negatively impact the environment:

Answer 4

1: May kill insect pollinators
2: potential to kill aquatic life
3: affect shared root zones, may damage multiple plants in one area

Question 5

define indirect pesticide applications

Answer 5

unintentional or intentional treatment of pests through spraying or placement of a pesticide on a plant, rather than on the pest.
ex. bees can carry pollen contaminated with pesticides back to the hive where it can kill or harm the bees in the hive

Question 6

Define leaching

Answer 6

the downward movement of pesticides and nutrients through the soil

Question 7

define non-target species

Answer 7

organisms not intended to be managed

Question 8

define runoff

Answer 8

the movement of water and associated materials over the top of the soil or impervious surfaces

Question 9

List two general types of pollinator protection best management practices:

Answer 9

1: inquire about the existence of bee-friendly plants on the property and nearby.
2: spot spraying vs broadcast spraying

Question 10

Identify three challenges to pollinator health from pesticide application:

Answer 10

1: Infected pollen with pesticide residues is carried back to the hive where it can harm the hive
2: ingested residues in nectar and pollen
3: reducing their resistance to the parasite implicated in colony collapse disorder

Question 11

define transportation

Answer 11

the movement of a pesticide away from its intended site of action (off-site)

Question 12

define pollinator protection statements

Answer 12

EPA required statements on pesticide labels which provide information on use of the product in a manner that reduces impacts on pollinators

Question 13

Define pollinators

Answer 13

insects and other organisms that carry pollen form one flower to another