Pesticide Packaging Pointers

Ninety-five percent of Michael Scott’s jobs involve residential liquid pesticide applications. Scott, lawn care manager, Excel Lawn Care, Merrimack, N.H., knows what pesticide formulations he likes to handle based on ease of use.

"We use an emulsifiable concentrate that comes in a plastic jug," Scott said about the formulation that contains a liquid active ingredient, petroleum-based solvents and an agent that allows the pesticide to be mixed with water and emulsify. "If we don’t use a whole batch one day, we can leave the product in the truck overnight and reagitate it the next day without having to worry about powders or dusts that have settled to the bottom of the tank."

Michael Hornung, president, Valley Green, St. Cloud, Minn., on the other hand, uses water-soluble packets (pre-measured packets of powder pesticide that dissolve instantly in water) for 90 percent of his preemergent herbicide treatments. "The product doesn’t have the odor of an emulsifiable concentrate and it’s easy to work with," Hornung explained.

Pesticide packaging and formulation preferences differ from contractor to contractor, but what remains constant is the importance of considering safety when buying and using pesticides. Now, manufacturers are making pesticide use safer with improved packaging.

THINKING OF YOU. While thinking about the type of packaging a pesticide comes in isn’t at the top of contractors’ to-do lists, they should rest easy knowing that manufacturers are designing packaging with ease of use and safety in mind.

One way this is being done is through the development of packaging that eliminates or minimizes contractors’ potential for exposure during the mixing process, pointed out Jim McGreevy, manager of the packaging technology group, Bayer Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa. Creating packaging concepts, such as water-soluble packets and liquid dose dispensing bottles, is one way manufacturers are minimizing contractors’ pesticide exposure.

"Anytime pouring is required, the chances of spilling or splashing increase," McGreevy said, explaining that dose dispensing bottles allow the product to be poured from the bottle in measured increments.

"With dose dispensing bottles, accurate measuring can take place without having to pour the pesticide into another jug – eliminating an extra step in the process," added John Thomas, sales manager for the turf and ornamental and pest group, BASF, Research Triangle Park, N.C.

To protect contractors during the buying process, special seals now are on most packages to alert contractors to products that have been tampered with, McGreevy pointed out. These include tamper-evident closures with bands that break when opened or foil inner seals applied to the neck finish of bottles that have to be removed prior to pouring the product. "If a seal is broken before use, the product should be returned," he said.

Other warning signs that products might not be fit for purchase include liquid around container lips, odd deformities in containers that signal a temperature or storage problem, granules falling out of holes in bags and product packages that are covered with the dust of other products that ripped open on the pallet, Thomas added.

JUST ADD WATER. Water-soluble packets also can eliminate extra steps in the mixing process. The packets, which come in pre-measured doses of dry products, can be dropped directly into spray tanks, McGreevy explained. Because water-soluble packets are sensitive to moisture, they are placed in foil envelopes and then packaged in cardboard boxes.

This extra packaging, however, is what makes a water-soluble packet 20 to 30 percent more expensive than the same amount of product packaged as an emulsifiable concentrate, commented Curtis Clark, business development and marketing manager, Riverdale Chemical Co., Glenwood, Ill. "The majority of the marketplace is not willing to pay for these packets even if they save mixing time."

But some contractors do appreciate the ease of use associated with water-soluble packets and don’t mind paying the extra money for them. "As far as measuring is concerned, you don’t have to even think – you just add the packet to a tankful of water every 1,100 square feet," Scott said.

One disadvantage of water-soluble packets is the product’s capacity for reagitation. "The powder will settle to the bottom of the tank overnight and I worry about how well the powder gets re-dispersed through the water during reagitation," Scott said.

Hornung echoed concern about reagitating powder pesticides, but said he bought a spray tank with mechanical agitation to ease his anxiety. He also fills his tanks partway to provide extra room for reagitation the following day. "I try to add specific amounts based on the pre-measured packets, always leaving room for reagitation in the tank," Hornung explained.

Another important aspect to remember when using water-soluble packets is that they might not dissolve completely in colder water temperatures based on the terms on their labels.

"A water-soluble packet isn’t a cure-all," Thomas explained. "Sometimes the bags don’t break down and clog the spray nozzles.

"When using any pesticide, contractors should read labels and make sure they are using the appropriate temperature of water and the appropriate safety gear," Clark added. "Just because water-soluble packets are easy to use does not mean they shouldn’t be handled safely."