PESTICIDE FORMULATIONS

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PESTICIDE FORMULATIONS

• Applying Pesticides Correctly-EPA
• Core Manual-Unit 3 (formulations)

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PESTICIDE FORMULATIONS

• Pesticides are usually formulated prior to use
• Consist of
• Active ingredient
• Inert ingredient
• Make it safer, more effective, easier to measure,
  mix, apply, convenient to handle

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PESTICIDE FORMULATIONS

• Manufactured as technical grade then formulated
• Formulation is the form sold for use
• Sold as a brand name

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LIQUID FORMULATIONS
EMULSIFIABLE CONCENTRATES (EC or E)

• Consists of
• Active ingredient (AI) insoluble in water
• Solvent
• Polar - usually poor (acetone alcohols)
• Nonpolar - usually good (xylene kerosene)

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EMULSIFIABLE CONCENTRATES (Con't)

• Emulsifiers
• Allow the formulation to be mixed with water to
  form an emulsion (oil in water)
• Each gallon of EC may contain 25 to 75 AI (2 to
  8 lbs)
• Used under a wide range of conditions

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EMULSIFIABLE CONCENTRATES (Con't)

• Advantages
• Easy to handle, transport store
• Little agitation required
• Not abrasive
• Will not plug screens or nozzles
• Little visible residue on treated surfaces

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EMULSIFIABLE CONCENTRATES (Con't)

• Disadvantages
• Easy to over or under dose
• May cause unwanted harm to plants
• Easily absorbed through skin
• Cause rubber plastic to deteriorate
• Harm painted surfaces
• Flammable
• Corrosive

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LIQUID FORMULATIONSSOLUTIONS

• Dissolve readily in a liquid solvent such as
  water or petroleum-based solvent
• Will not settle out or separate
• Contain AI, solvent and one or more other
  ingredients
• Used in most sprayers, indoors or outdoors

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SOLUTIONS (Con't) READY-TO-USE (RTU)

• Contain correct amount of solvent
• No further dilution required
• Usually contain small amounts of AI (1 or less)

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SOLUTIONS (Con't) CONCENTRATE SOLUTIONS (C or LC)

• Concentrates that require dilution with solvent
• Solvent is occasionally water, more often it is
  petroleum-based
• Some uses of solutions
• Structural institutional pest control
• Household pests
• Livestock poultry pests
• Space sprays in barns and warehouses
• Tree pests
• Mosquito control

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SOLUTIONS (Con't) CONCENTRATE SOLUTIONS (C or LC)

• Advantages
• No agitation required
• Disadvantages
• Limited number of formulations available

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LIQUID FORMULATIONSULTRA-LOW-VOLUME (ULV)

• Approach 100 AI
• Use as is or with small amounts of water (1/2 gal
  or less)
• Used mostly in outdoor applications
• Agricultural
• Forestry
• Ornamental
• Mosquito

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ULTRA-LOW-VOLUME (ULV) (Con't)

• Advantages
• Easy to handle, transport store
• Little agitation required
• Not abrasive
• Will not clog screens or nozzles
• Little visible residue on treated surfaces
• Disadvantages
• High drift hazard
• Need special application equipment
• Solvents can deteriorate rubber and plastic

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LIQUID FORMULATIONS FLOWABLES (F or L)

• Are insoluble solids
• Finely ground AI mixed with a liquid plus inert
  ingredient to form a suspension
• Mixed with water for application

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FLOWABLES (F or L) (Con't)

• Advantages
• Seldom clog nozzles
• Easy to handle and apply
• Disadvantages
• Require moderate agitation
• May leave a visible residue
• May separate
• May cake in container or sprayer

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LIQUID FORMULATIONS AEROSOLS (A)

• Contain one or more AI and a solvent
• Usually contain a low percentage of AI
• Two types
• Ready-to-use
• Smoke or fog generators

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AEROSOLS (A) (Con't) READY-TO-USE AEROSOLS

• Small, self-contained units
• Release pesticide when nozzle valve is triggered
• Commercial models hold 5 to 10 lbs and are
  refillable

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AEROSOLS (A) (Con't) READY-TO-USE AEROSOLS
(Con't)

• Advantages
• Ready to use
• Easily stored
• Convenient
• Long shelf life
• Disadvantages
• Limited uses
• Inhalation risk
• Container is under pressure
• Drift

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AEROSOLS (A) (Con't) SMOKE OR FOG GENERATORS

• Machines break the liquid into a fine mist or fog
• Use a rapidly whirling disk or heated surface
• Used mainly for insect control in
• Greenhouses
• Warehouses
• Outdoor control of mosquitoes and biting flies

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AEROSOLS (A) (Con't) SMOKE OR FOG GENERATORS

• Advantages
• Easy to fill large, enclosed spaces with
  pesticide
• Pesticide is not under pressure
• Disadvantages
• Requires specialized equipment
• Drift
• May require respiratory protection when applying

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LIQUID FORMULATIONSINVERT EMULSIONS

• Water soluble pesticide dispersed in an oil
  carrier
• Form large droplets which reduce drift
• Used in vegetation control along rights-of-ways
• Require special equipment, expensive, reduced
  coverage

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DRY FORMULATIONS DUSTS (D)

• Most are ready-to-use
• Most contain low amounts of AI (0.5 to 10)
• Also contain a very fine dry inert carrier (talc,
  chalk, clay etc.)
• Used to control pests
• In ag applications
• On livestock and pets
• Seed treatment
• Flowers vegetable gardens

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DRY FORMULATIONS DUSTS (D) (cont)

• Advantages
• No mixing
• Can use where a spray may cause damage
• Use simple equipment
• Effective in hard-to-reach indoor areas
• Disadvantages
• Drift
• May irritate skin, eyes, nose, throat
• Poor adhesion to surfaces
• Poor distribution of particles on surfaces

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DRY FORMULATIONS BAITS (B)

• AI mixed with food or other pest attractant
• Pests killed by eating pesticide contaminated
  bait
• AI is usually low (lt5)
• Used inside to control
• ants, roaches, flies, other insects, rodents
• Used outside to control
• snails, slugs, insects, vertebrate pests

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DRY FORMULATIONS BAITS (B) (cont)

• Advantages
• Ready to use
• Only need to treat small area
• Controls pests that move in and out of an area

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DRY FORMULATIONS BAITS (B) (cont)

• Disadvantages
• May be attractive to pets and children
• May kill non-target animals
• Pest may not eat bait
• Dead pest may cause odor problems
• Secondary poisoning of non-target animals
• Can serve as pest food supply if AI becomes
  ineffective

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DRY FORMULATIONS GRANULES (G)

• Similar to dust formulations, larger heavier
• Made from adsorptive materials
• Clay, corn cobs, walnut shells
• AI coats outside of granule or is absorbed
• AI is usually low (1 to 20)
• Usually applied to soil to control weeds,
  nematodes, insects

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DRY FORMULATIONS GRANULES (G) (cont)

• Advantages
• Ready to use
• Low drift hazard
• Penetrate dense foliage
• Usually requires simple application equipment
• Usually the safest formulation to handle

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DRY FORMULATIONS GRANULES (G) (cont)

• Disadvantages
• Will not stick to target (may move with rain)
• May need to incorporate into soil
• May need moisture to activate
• May be hazardous to birds

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DRY FORMULATIONS PELLETS (P or PS)

• Similar to granular formulations
• All are same size and weight
• Some fumigants are pellets
• Aluminum phosphide

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DRY FORMULATIONS WETTABLE POWDERS

• (WP or W) Dry, finely ground look like dusts
• Usually mixed with water
• Applied as a spray
• 5 to 95 AI
• Do not dissolve in water
• Will settle out unless constant agitation is used

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DRY FORMULATIONS WETTABLE POWDERS (cont)

• Advantages
• Easy to store, transport handle
• Less phytotoxic than EC
• Less skin eye absorption
• Less odor
• Method of applying insoluble pesticides as a
  spray

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DRY FORMULATIONS WETTABLE POWDERS (cont)

• Disadvantages
• Inhalation hazard while mixing
• Requires constant agitation
• Often clog nozzles and screens
• Abrasive
• May be difficult to mix and measure
• May leave white deposit on surfaces

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DRY FORMULATIONS SOLUBLE POWDERS (SP or WSP)

• Look like WP
• Require initial agitation
• Dissolve easily
• Form a true solution in water
• AI ranges from 15 to 95
• Have all advantages of WP
• Inhalation hazard while mixing

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DRY FORMULATIONSWATER-DISPERSIBLE GRANULES (WDG)
or DRY FLOWABLES (DF)

• Are like WP
• AI is prepared as granule-sized particle
• Must be mixed with water
• Require constant agitation
• Same advantages disadvantages as WP
• More easily measured mixed than WP
• Cause less inhalation hazard than WP

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OTHER FORMULATIONS MICROENCAPSULATED PESTICIDES
(M)

• May be liquid or dry surrounded by plastic
  coating
• Mixed with water applied as a spray
• Capsule slowly releases pesticide
• Provides a timed release of pesticide

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OTHER FORMULATIONS MICROENCAPSULATED PESTICIDES
(M) (cont)

• Advantages
• Increased applicator safety
• Easy to mix, handle apply
• Timed release
• Disadvantages
• Require constant agitation
• Bees take capsules back to hive

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OTHER FORMULATIONS FUMIGANTS

• Form poisonous gas when applied
• Some are liquid under pressure, change to gas
  when released
• Some are liquid change to gas when exposed to
  air
• Some are solid change to gas when exposed to
  water or high humidity

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OTHER FORMULATIONS FUMIGANTS (cont)

• Advantages
• Toxic to wide range of pests
• Penetrate cracks, wood, soil, grain
• Single treatment kills most pests
• Disadvantages
• Site must be enclosed or covered
• Highly toxic
• Require special safety application equipment

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ADJUVANTS

• Added to formulations to increase effectiveness
• Include surfactants, wetting agents,
  emulsifiers, spreaders, stickers, penetrants,
  safeners, etc.