What's in that bottle of pesticide?
Don't buy a pesticide until you know
it's the right product to safely solve your pest problem.
Do you know that over 100 different
toxic pesticide chemicals are registered
for use in homes and gardens?
So how do you choose the best products to use?
When you are shopping for a pesticide
the first thing you'll usually notice is
the trade name, or brand-name.
The trade name will be in large letters
and often uses catchy words like
"Weed Stop", "Takedown", or "Rose Defense."
The trade name however doesn't tell you
what pesticide chemical is in the container.
To find this out you need to look lower down on the label
under the small type that says "Active Ingredient."
The active ingredient is the toxic
chemical that usually kills and controls the pest.
Usually it only makes up a small percentage of the product,
but it is the most toxic part.
Why do you need to know the active ingredient?
Knowing the active ingredient will allow
you to research information on how
effective the product is at controlling
your pest before you buy it.
Don't rely on a trade name or pictures
on a label to determine if the pesticide
will solve your pest problem.
You also need to identify the active
ingredient to find out how safe the pesticide is for people,
wildlife, honey bees, and the environment.
For instance, some insecticides are very toxic to
honeybees and other pollinators.
Other pesticides run off into creeks and rivers and harm fish, or other aquatic wildlife.
Some snail control products are very toxic to dogs, whereas others are much safer.
To help choose and evaluate active ingredients
see the UC IPM website. Once they're select the 
home and landscape box.
Look for your problem passed in the sections on pests of homes and structures,
or pests in gardens and landscapes.
Scroll down to the pesticide information section
to find the active ingredient database.
For each active ingredient
you will find information on its impact
on water quality,
beneficial insects, honey bees and people
and other mammals.
Researching your choice of active
ingredients before you buy a pesticide
will help you rest assured that you have
chosen a safe product that will control your pest.
Visit the UC IPM website for more
information on managing pests.
