HIGGINBOTHAM, J.S. 1987. New Jersey fights pest problems with beneficial insects. Am. Nurseryman 66(4): 73-76, 78, 80.
In a state-of-the-art lab north of Trenton, technicians employed by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture are producing up to 25 million insects a year. The Beneficial Insect Rearing Laboratory opened in 1984 and is one of the nation's largest facilities for breeding parasites and predators of economically important pests. The program is intended to help plant producers reduce pesticide use without sacrificing efficient control. New Jersey has been researching biological controls for gypsy moth for more than 20 years. New Jersey has a particular interest in pest control because of its history as a point of entry for problem insects. Its first organized battle against such an enemy centered around the Japanese beetle, which was introduced to the state from Japan in 1916. New Jersey researchers did pioneering work on biological controls for the pest and found two effective weapons: milky spore disease and a nematode. Since then, New Jersey has successfully used parasites to fight other foreign-born pests, including Oriental Fruit moth, European corn borer and European pine sawfly.
HIGGINBOTHAM, J.S. 1987. A new EPA ruling on inert ingredients raises more pesticide questions. Am. Nurseryman 166(4): 103-104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114.
Nurserymen and other pesticide users have one thing in common with those who purchase patent medicines; they can't tell for sure what's in the product they're buying. Pesticides undergo extensive toxicity testing and labeling procedures, both for the formulated or "end-use" pesticide and for active ingredient. But active ingredients are only part of a pesticide.—often, less than half of a product's total volume. The remainder consists of inert ingredients: solvents, carriers, emulsifiers and so on. Unlike active components, these chemicals are rarely identified on labels. "Inert" does not necessarily mean inactive. Pesticide makers have traditionally held that the identity of these components should remain a trade secret. Until recently, EPA agreed. Though not intended to affect pests, inerts can have drastic effects on people. The medical community has identified a number of suspicious incidents involving inerts. Even some manufacturers agree that a number of inerts are hazardous and should probably be banned. Approximately 1,200 inerts are currently included in registered pesticide formulations.
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