8.6 Protecting Non-Target Organisms, Pollinators & Wildlife

8.6 Protecting Non-Target Organisms, Pollinators & Wildlife

Pesticides are designed to control specific target pests, but improper selection, timing, or application techniques can inflict severe collateral damage on non-target organisms. Non-target species include beneficial insects (such as honeybees, wild pollinators, and predatory natural enemies), aquatic life (fish, amphibians, and macroinvertebrates), wild birds, mammals, and threatened or endangered plant and animal species.

Commercial pesticide applicators in Ohio must exercise ecological stewardship, understand ecotoxicological label warnings, and follow state and federal habitat protection protocols.

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1. Pollinator Protection Stewardship

Insect pollinators—including managed European honeybees (Apis mellifera) and native wild pollinators (bumblebees, solitary bees, and hoverflies)—are essential to Ohio's agricultural economy, pollinating apples, pumpkins, berries, soybeans, and alfalfa seed crops. Honeybee poisoning occurs when bees absorb pesticides directly from spray droplets, drink contaminated dew/guttation water, or collect pesticide-contaminated pollen and nectar.

Formulation Hazards to Bees

Different pesticide physical formulations present drastically different hazards to foraging bees:

• Microencapsulated Formulations ($ME$): EXTREME HAZARD. Polymeric microcapsules are manufactured in sizes ($15\text{ to }50\ \mu\text{m}$) matching natural pollen grains. Foraging bees collect microcapsules electrostatically and carry them back to the hive, where nurse bees feed contaminated pollen to brood larvae, resulting in colony collapse.
• Dusts ($D$) & Wettable Powders ($WP$): HIGH HAZARD. Dry powders stick to hairy bee bodies electrostatically.
• Emulsifiable Concentrates ($EC$): MODERATE HAZARD. Absorbed through insect cuticles rapidly when wet, but leaves less dry particulate residue.
• Soluble Liquids ($SL$) & Granules ($G$): LOWEST HAZARD. Granules applied below soil surfaces present minimal exposure to foraging bees.

Residual Toxicity Period ($RT_{25}$)

Product labels quantify bee hazard using the $RT_{25}$ value, defined as the time (in hours) required for field-applied pesticide residues to degrade until bee mortality drops below $25%$. Pesticides with an $RT_{25} > 8\text{ hours}$ carry strict label prohibitions against application during crop bloom.

Pollinator Hazard Mitigation Controls:

1. Bloom Prohibitions: NEVER apply insecticides labeled with bee hazard icons to crops or cover crops in bloom, or when blooming weeds (such as dandelions or clover) are present in the treatment area.
2. Application Timing Window: Apply bee-hazardous pesticides during late evening (dusk to midnight) or early morning (before dawn) when air temperatures are below $55^\circ\text{F}$. Bees do not forage at night or under cool temperatures ($< 55^\circ\text{F}$).
3. Mowing Blooming Weeds: Mow cover crops or blooming floor weeds prior to orchard or vine pesticide applications to eliminate bee foraging attractants.
4. Communication & Ohio BeeCheck (DriftWatch): Applicators should consult DriftWatch / BeeCheck, Ohio's voluntary online mapping tool. Contact registered apiary owners located within 1.5 miles at least 48 hours before applying toxic pesticides.

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2. Ecotoxicity & Protecting Aquatic Organisms

Pesticides entering surface waters via runoff or spray drift can trigger devastating fish kills and destroy aquatic invertebrate food webs. Ecotoxicity is evaluated using Lethal Concentration 50 ($LC_{50}$)—the chemical concentration in water required to kill $50%$ of a test species (such as rainbow trout or Daphnia magna) within 96 hours.

• Highly toxic insecticides (e.g., synthetic pyrethroids like permethrin or bifenthrin) exhibit extreme aquatic toxicity with $LC_{50}$ values $< 1.0\text{ ppm}$ (or $\mu\text{g/L}$). Synthetic pyrethroids disrupt fish nerve function and paralyze aquatic insects.
• Copper-based algaecides and aquatic herbicides can cause secondary fish kills if excessive vegetation is killed at once: decaying plant matter depletes dissolved oxygen levels in the water, suffocating fish.

Aquatic Protection Rules:

• Observe mandatory spray buffer zones ($25\text{ to }150\text{ feet}$) along streams, lakes, and wetlands specified on product labels.
• Use coarse drift-reduction nozzles when spraying adjacent to water bodies.
• Treat overgrown aquatic weeds in stages (treating only $1/3$ of a pond at a time) to prevent dissolved oxygen depletion.

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3. Endangered Species Protection & EPA Bulletins Live! Two

Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and FIFRA, federal law prohibits applying pesticides in a manner that harms listed threatened or endangered species or adversely modifies their designated critical habitats.

EPA Bulletins Live! Two System

To enforce species-specific protection without overloading printed pesticide container labels, the EPA utilizes an online digital system called Bulletins Live! Two.

1. Label Trigger: If a pesticide label contains an Environmental Hazard statement referring the applicator to Bulletins Live! Two, the applicator has a legal obligation to consult the web system prior to application.
2. Compliance Window: Applicators must access Bulletins Live! Two within 6 months prior to application to obtain the official Endangered Species Protection Bulletin for the specific county and month of application.
3. Pesticide Use Limitation Areas (PULAs): The digital Bulletin provides a GIS map showing geographic PULAs. If the application site falls inside a PULA, the applicator must follow mandatory mitigation measures (such as expanded non-spray buffer zones, mandatory low-drift nozzles, or absolute application bans).
4. Documentation: Applicators must archive a printed or digital copy of the Bulletin alongside their mandatory Ohio pesticide application records.