Transcript No Slide Title

With the 1996 passage of the Food Quality
Protection Act, all routes of pesticide exposure are under
increasing scrutiny. One important avenue of possible
exposure is the use of pesticides around the home. In
addition, pesticide runoff, particularly from urban areas,
threatens water quality.
Previous surveys1 of Oklahoma urban residents
revealed that most (75%) apply pesticides, primarily to
control fleas and ticks, roaches, and grubs. These surveys
indicated that the organophosphates diazinon and
chlorpyrifos (Dursban®) were the most popularly used; in
addition, up to 8% of surveyed urban residents poured
unused pesticides down the drain or in a ditch. Given that
60% of the population in Oklahoma resides in urban areas,2
urban use of pesticides can have a significant impact on
both human and environmental pesticide exposure.
To understand current practices and attitudes about
pesticide use among Oklahoma urban residents, we
conducted a telephone survey during the summer of
2000.
Objectives
To determine:
 The level of pest management knowledge among
Oklahoma urban residents
 The primary pest problems in urban backyards
 What methods were being used to control these pests
 How urban residents disposed of unused pesticides
 Where urban residents primarily obtained their
information regarding pest management
 What kind of information did urban residents feel they
need to manage pests in their yards
We conducted a randomly dialed telephone survey of
residents within Oklahoma City and Tulsa city limits during
the summer of 2000. Only those respondents over the age
of 18 with a yard, garden plot, or flower bed area were
asked to participate in the 15-minute survey. Questions
were both open-ended and multiple choice, and included
queries on pests (insect, disease, and weed), pest
management techniques, protective equipment used when
applying pesticides, pesticide and yard waste disposal, lawn
nutrient management, sources of pest management
information, and further educational needs. Sections of
our findings are included here.
A total of 550 city residents completed the telephone
questionnaire, and based on population statistics, the
findings have an overall error rate of ± 6%. The total
response rate was 33%3.
House
Where were they?
Duplex
Apartment
92%
Condo
Mobile Home
Tulsa
Oklahoma
City
Who were they?
Children < 12 yrs
in the home?
Male
Yes
Female
No
Education
17%
Some HS
5%
20%
HS/GED
Some College
College
Graduate/prof'l
29%
29%
We asked:
“Where do you primarily go for information about pests
in your yard?” And here’s what we learned:
1%
5%
7%
7%
8%
TV/Radio
Internet
?
Other
Magazines
OSU Extension
10%
Nowhere
11%
Family
17%
36%
Lawn care company
Store
 Most residents (36%) get their information about
pest management from the stores where they buy
plants or where they buy pesticides.
 Only 8% of residents in Oklahoma and Tulsa County
ever turn to their County Extension Office for
information.
 Clearly, to be more effective in educating the urban
population, we either need to
Increase the visibility of the County Extension
Offices
 Or deliver the educational material where it more
likely will be seen, such as at the plant centers
where consumers shop

Most Frequently Cited Insect/Invertebrate Pest
# 1
Fleas
# 6
Grubs
# 2
Ants
# 7
Armyworms
# 3
Ticks
# 8
Spider
mites
# 4
Mosquitoes
# 9
Slugs &
Snails
# 5
Spiders
# 10
Crickets
Many residents of Oklahoma City and Tulsa rely on either
Diazinon or Dursban for managing insect pests around
their yards. However, both of these chemicals will not be
available for home use in the near future.
Diazinon 25%
Other
chemicalsa
52%
Represents 1/3 of
insect control methods
Dursban 8%
Lawn care co. 8%
Non-chemicalb 8%
Includes malathion, pyrethroids, carbaryl, and non-specific (e.g., “Ortho”)
b Includes soap, water, boric acid, physical removal, etc.
a
How do you usually dispose of old pesticides or
pesticides that you mixed up but didn’t use?
0.5%
Pour them down the drain
1%
Bury them
2%
Pour them in the street or in a ditch
2%
Other (store for years, spouse takes care of it)
11%
17%
66%
Put them in the trash
Take them to a hazardous waste collection site
Use them up
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days are held at least
once per year in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa. In addition,
Oklahoma City is building a permanent waste collection site, which
will hopefully decrease the inappropriate disposal of pesticides.
What information do you need to improve your knowledge
of pest control around your yard?
Pest Management
Weed
Disease
Pesticide Use
Vertebrate
Disposal
Alternatives
Use
General
Insect
Environ.
Safety
Safety
 Most (54%) residents of Oklahoma City and Tulsa
consider insects as the worst pest of their yard
 Most residents try to control these pests with
chemical pesticides, and continue to rely on
organophosphates
 Some of the insects they consider to be pests are
benign or beneficial
 Most pesticides are disposed of correctly
 Urban residents would like information about
identification and management of insects more
than any other pest
 Urban residents are concerned about the safe use of
pesticides and the safety of pesticides in the
environment
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to express appreciation for the many
individuals who provided comments during the development
of this survey, including Ken Pinkston, Dennis Martin, and
Sue Gray of OSU-OCES, and Cathy Koelsch, City of
Oklahoma City. We also thank Sandra Stiles and the staff
at the Bureau of Social Research.
References
The urban environment: Oklahoma attitudes and practices. 1995.
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University.
Circular IPM-6, 32pp.
2 U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1999.
3 Standard definitions: Final dispositions of case codes and outcomes
rates for RDD telephone surveys and in-person household surveys.
1998. The American Association for Public Opinion Research.
1
Introduction
Materials &
Methods
Conclusion
Results &
Discussion
Pat Bolin, Gerrit Cuperus,
Jim Criswell, and
Christine Johnson
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078