What do “pest control” and public health campaigns against SARS Cov-2 have in common?  Both activities use pesticides.  In the eyes of the law, sanitizer and disinfectant products are considered pesticides.  And if you're a little wary of using pesticides, you should exercise the same caution when choosing and using a disinfectant.

Originally posted by Mike Merchant on Insects in the City.

Let's start with some basics. The term ‘pesticide' refers to any substance or mixture of substances used to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate a...

U.S. EPA Acts to Protect the Public from Unregistered “Virus Shut Out” Product Imported into Honolulu and Guam

Unsubstantiated claims to protect against viruses threaten public health

Like you, we at the UC Statewide IPM Program are responding to the COVID-19 situation in ways that help protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. While much of the world's normal human activities have largely come to a halt, pests such as insects, rodents, weeds, and plant diseases are not affected by the virus and continue to impact our homes, gardens, landscapes, structures, crops, trees, and natural areas.

Public concern regarding the risk of illness from long-term exposure to glyphosate is on the rise. In order to reduce exposure to this common herbicide, or any other pesticide, it's important that applicators wear the right personal protective equipment (PPE), not only for personal safety, but also to comply with California regulations.

Signal words and glyphosate

Pesticide labels contain a signal word, which describes the effects of acute or immediate toxicity from unprotected exposure to the chemical. Signal words are CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER, and DANGER-POISON (see the Spring 2019 issue of the retail newsletter for more