Best practices
for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

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Ch 3: Section one: Federal laws related to wildlife control

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

Avoid the "oops" (Pay attention when using something as pesticides)

FIFRA is probably the law that is most misunderstood by NWCOs. Why Because in many cases, they don't even realize they're dealing with a pesticide.

Any substance that's meant to prevent, destroy, or repel pests, or reduce their damage, is legally classified as a pesticide. Doesn't matter if it's a commercial product or a home remedy.

Chemical repellents are pesticides. So are fumigants, such as phosphine gas tablets or a carbon monoxide gas cartridge used to control rodents in their burrows. Poison baits, such as rodenticides, are pesticides.

There's an easy way to figure this all out. Read the product label. If it's a legal pesticide, the label will include all the information you need.

And—the label is the law.

What about "home remedies" That term covers concoctions such as Auntie Sue's chipotle-garlic deer repellent and the novel use of a household product as a pesticide (for example, household ammonia used as a repellent to drive raccoons out of a chimney).

When a product hasn't gone through the regulatory process, you lack vital information. What's the recommended dose Precisely how are you supposed to use and dispose of the product That's really important information. Ammonia is a legal product. It's also toxic to people. With bad instructions, someone trying to use ammonia as a repellent could get hurt.

In certain cases, the restrictions may seem ludicrous. A raccoon is living in the home, peeing wherever it pleases, but I can't apply a little bit of raccoon eviction fluid, a product that contains raccoon urine Puuh-leeze. Can't we use a little common sense

How Do you trust everyone Not all manufacturers are honest or competent. They might purposefully or accidentally include a dangerous substance in the product. That's why we rely on scientific studies and government regulatory processes. That's how you know that the list of ingredients is complete and accurate. That's how you know that a 2% solution is just that, not 0.2% solution in this bottle and a 20% solution in that one.

Remember, too, that just because a pesticide is sold through a trade magazine or the internet, that doesn't mean you can legally use it in New York State. (Legal pesticides are registered by the EPA and the DEC or are in a special category, "25b minimum risk exemptions.")

If you have any questions about pesticides, check the DEC website, or call your regional DEC office or the Compliance Section of the DEC's Bureau of Pesticides Management at (518) 402-8781.

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