According to the EPA “A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest; Use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant; Use as a nitrogen stabilizer”. This includes weed and feed, flea medicine, moth balls, and ant or roach bait among many others This is further detailed on this EPA page.

Mosquito Control Programs are regulated by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Depending on your county and the program you fall under, you may or may not be able to be on a no-spray list. Find information about your local program here. 

Although not every program offers a “no spray option” those with documented chemical sensitivities can request prior notification before ANY type of pesticide is used in their area. For more information about registration follow the instructions provided here.

FDACS has a webpage covering this topic extensively here. We also have several relevant blogs: pesticides and pollinators, What’s the buzz on bees, and bee boxes.

Pesticide labels follow a standardized format for the most part. If PPE is required for a product it will be listed under “Precautionary Statements”. An example label and additional information on pesticide labeling can be found here.

If you believe someone is misusing pesticides, you can file a complaint with FDACS. There is a “Pest Control Complaint Form” and a “Report and Unlicensed/illegal Pest Control Operator” form. They can be found here. We also have a blog article on pesticide misuse.

We have written several articles to help you understand the potential of pesticide exposure to pets and families.

In Florida, if you will be applying Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs), or selling pest control services you must become a certified applicator. If you think this applies to you, try following our key to determine which certification is right for you, and check out our “Applicators” section of the website.

If you think you are experiencing pesticide poisoning or have been exposed call your poison control center or seek medical attention. Try to have as much information as possible to give to the medical provider such as what the chemical was, how you were exposed, how much of the product you came in contact with, and if possible share the product label.

All pesticides will be registered with the EPA and ALL will have directions on them about safety and use. This is called a pesticide label and contains all the information needed for use of these products. We have a blog series dedicated to understanding all the parts of a pesticide label.

Brian Bahder‘s research program is on insect vectors of plant pathogens in tropical ornamental plants. Currently, his focus on palm-infecting phytoplasmas in Florida and the Caribbean and he integrates basic and applied techniques in plant pathology and entomology to develop management plans, primarily focused on the insect vector, to control spread of these pathogens in nurseries and urban settings. He also runs a diagnostic clinic and conducts applied research on developing and optimizing novel molecular assays for identification of palm phytoplasmas. Finally, he studies planthopper diversity and taxonomy in the Neotropics.

Julien Beuzelin is a Research and Extension entomologist at the UF/IFAS Everglades REC in Belle Glade. His program focuses on insect pest management and ecology in sugarcane, rice, sorghum, sweet corn, and other vegetables grown in the Everglades Agricultural Area.

Daniel Carrillo is an Associate Professor of Entomology at the University of Florida, located at the Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida. He specializes in Tropical Fruit Entomology and Acarology and has a particular interest in the ecology and management of invasive arthropods, focusing on vectors of plant pathogens. His extension and research efforts aim at increasing the implementation of IPM programs in tropical fruit systems. Daniel has a significant project on ambrosia beetles that vector the pathogen that causes laurel wilt, a new disease that has decimated native trees in the Lauraceae throughout the southeastern U.S. He also has 15 years of experience on the management of pest mites using biocontrol agents, phytosanitary treatments, and biorational acaricides.

Billy Crow specializes in diagnosis and management of nematodes that damage turfgrasses and ornamental plants, both commercial and residential.  He also is the director of the UF Nematode Assay Lab, UFs primary diagnostic service for all agricultural and horticultural commodities. 

Adam Dale works on the ecology and management of insects on turfgrasses and ornamental plants, primarily in the context of urban and residential landscapes. His work includes beneficial arthropod conservation, integrated pest management, and integrated pest and pollinator management. Dr. Dale is the turfgrass and ornamental entomology state extension specialist.

Johan Desaeger GCREC

Lauren Diepenbrock is located at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. Her lab focused on management of historical and newly established arthropod pests of citrus.  

Larry Duncan studies the ecology and management of plant and insect parasitic nematodes, primarily in citrus orchards.  Management research variously involves cultural, biological and chemical tactics,  including a special emphasis on conservation tactics to exploit the services of endemic entomopathogenic nematodes.

Jamie Ellis studies honey bee husbandry, including pest and pathogen management, nutrition, and the mitigation of abiotic stressors honey bees encounter. With a three-way academic split, Jamie conducts basic and applied research with managed and wild honey bees, communicates his findings to assorted clientele groups through diverse Extension programming, and trains future generations of bee educators, researchers, conservationists, and more. 

Zane Grabau works on nematode management in broad acreage crops (agronomic and horticulture) of North Florida. His program deals with all applied aspects of management include nematicide efficacy, crop rotation and resistant cultivars. Soil ecology through beneficial, non-parasitic nematodes is one of his other programmatic areas. 

Abolfazl Hajihassani research program focuses on the management of plant-parasitic nematodes of different crops grown in South Florida, including but is not limited to topical crops, turf, ornamental and vegetable crops. He works on nematode detection and identification, nematicide efficacy, development and implementation of biological control methods, cover cropping, and crop resistance screening and monitoring against plant-parasitic nematodes.

Amanda Hodges works on invasive species and general pest management of arthropods in various cropping systems, particularly vegetable and fruit crops. Pest monitoring, biological control, and cultural control are areas of emphasis.

Cameron Jack works on the management of honey bee pests, with an emphasis on the chemical control. He is interested in identifying new active ingredients that can be used against these pests as well as how to best integrate chemical and non-chemical treatments into sustainable management regimens.

Sriyanka Lahiri works on strawberry and small fruit crops pest management with 70% research and 30% extension appointment. She focuses on developing integrated pest management tools such as biological control, cultural control, and chemical control to manage pesticide resistance issues, especially for invasive pests.

Norm Leppla serves as the UF/IFAS IPM Coordinator to connect our faculty with state, regional and national IPM information, activities and opportunities. He and his students provide IPM resources via the IPM Florida listserv and website (https://ipm.ifas.ufl.edu/), Extension programs and guest lectures, and direct consultation on specific pest problems. He is a primary contact for lovebugs, mole crickets, insect rearing systems, and biological control. His current research is primarily on IPM and biological control of invasive stink bugs. 

Oscar Liburd conducts research and extension activities on invasive arthropod pests of small fruits, including blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and grapes. He also conducts research and extension on organic pest management of vegetables, particularly cucurbits (squash, watermelon), cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower), and peppers. Some research areas include monitoring and pest surveillance, biological control, pest ecology, and behavioral management using semiochemicals, including pheromone pest management.

Rachel Mallinger conducts research and extension on crop pollination and pollinator conservation. Her work aims to improve pollination and yields of Florida’s insect-pollinated specialty crops including blueberries, strawberries, melons, squash, and tropical fruits. In her other area of focus, pollinator conservation, she provides recommendations for pollinator gardens and habitats with a particular emphasis on conserving native, wild bees.

Xavier Martini NFREC

De-Fen Mou's research and extension programs focus on identifying and managing insect pests and plant pathogen vectors that concern important crops in Everglades Agricultural Area such as sugarcane, sorghum, rice, sweet corn, and vegetable crops. Her work includes identifying and monitoring insect vectors of plant viruses and phytoplasmas, and developing integrated management programs to control pathogen vectors and plant diseases. Starting in January 2023, her lab is located at the Everglades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade.

Lance Osborne MFREC

Silvana Paula-Moraes is a specialist in lepidopteran pests and have been involved in several researchers related with IPM and Insect Resistance management in peanut, cotton, corn, and soybean.

Jawwad Qureshi studies biology, ecology, behavior and management of the insect and mite pests in citrus and vegetable crops. Information and knowledge from these studies are used toward developing cultural, biological, and chemical methods of pest control and understanding their interactions and impact on pest and beneficial organisms for implementing IPM.

Alexandra Revynthi is a mite specialist and conducts research on invasive mites and insects affecting subtropical and tropical ornamental crops in south Florida. She focuses on developing IPM programs that are tailored to the pest biology and behavior as well as to the plant. Pests of interest include spider mites, flat mites, broad mites, eriophyoid mites, weevils, whiteflies and snails.

Dakshina Seal (DAK) works on the biology and management of insect pests of vegetable crops. His focus is to develop IPM using chemical, biological, and cultural practices to manage various pests.  Among insect pests, he conducts research studies on thrips, silverleaf whitefly, leaf miners, pepper weevil, sweet potato weevil, corn silk fly, Wireworm, diamondback moth, beet armyworm, fall armyworm, melonworm, pickleworm and cucumber beetle.  He addresses the above-mentioned insect pests on various crops including tomato, pepper bean, squash, cucumber, eggplant, cabbage, sweet corn and sweet potato.

Hugh Smith is the vegetable entomologist at the UF IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. He works on integrated management of whiteflies, thrips, diamondback moth and other pests with an emphasis on insecticide efficacy and resistance management.

Lukasz Stelinski specializes in applied ecology for pest control, vector-pathogen interactions, and insecticide toxicology as it relates to resistance management. Stelinski is located at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred where he has dedicated most of his time to management of vector driven phytopathogens since 2006.