Classes of Pesticides Used in Landscape/Nursery Pest Management

There are many considerations when using pesticides to manage insects and mites on nursery and landscape plants. Although efficacy is obviously central for any pesticide use, there are often special problems with development of pesticide resistance among certain pests (e.g., twospotted spider mite). Conservation of natural enemies of insect and mite pests is critical to optimizing pest management and there is very low tolerance of potential adverse effects to non-target organisms such as wildlife and pets. Perhaps most often of greatest concern is that pesticide applications often take place in areas of high human traffic and may be further complicated by special issues such as chemical trespass. Ideally, pesticides used in landscape/nursery pest management would: 1) be effective for the intended management purpose; 2) pose very low hazard to humans; 3) be compatible with natural enemies of pest insects and mites; 4) pose minimal hazard to birds, mammals and other non-target species; 5) be used in a manner that avoids drift and/or excessive environmental persistence. Pesticides that combine most of these feature are sometimes referred to as biorational pesticides.