Greetings,

The Board of Pesticides Control wants to keep you informed on issues that may affect you. We welcome your input and feedback. Please send your comments to pesticides@maine.gov.

Upcoming Board Meeting 

June 9, 2023 at 9:00 AM in Room 118 of the Marquardt Building located at 32 Blossom Lane in Augusta. This will be a hybrid meeting.

• For more information, visit the Board Meetings Page

Upcoming Credit Meetings

The following programs have been approved for pesticide recertification credits. More recertification opportunities may be found on the BPC Credit Calendar.

• May 23, 2023 - Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Mosquito Management; Location: Online; Approved for 1 pesticide credit. To register and for more information
• May 26, 2023 - Invasive Plant, Insect or Pathogen Workshop 8 AM to 4 PM; Location: 100 Nutting Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME; Approved for 6 pesticide credits. To register and for more information

Legislative Action

The below bill is being considered by the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee

LD 1770 – “An Act to Improve Pesticides Sales and Use Data Collection and Accessibility by the State”

• The bill directs the Board of Pesticides Control, to create an online database for pesticide product dealers, certified applicators and commercial agricultural producers to report the type and amount of pesticides sold, distributed or applied in the State and other information as required. The bill specifies a certified applicator or commercial agricultural producer to report the names of all pesticide product dealers from which pesticides were purchased, the address where the pesticides were applied, the names of the pesticides, the quantity purchased and applied, the date the pesticides were applied and the EPA registration number. The bill specifies that information submitted is public information but allows a pesticide dealer, commercial applicator or commercial agricultural producer to request that the board designate proprietary information as confidential.

      A public work session is scheduled for May 10, 2023, at 11:00 AM

Product Registration Update

Always check to ensure all products distributed or used are currently registered in the State of Maine. Check NPIRS for a list of the current Maine registrations.

EPA Recent Updates

The EPA is announcing new mitigation measures for the organophosphate pesticide diazinon. They worked with registrants of this pesticide to develop these measures early, several years ahead of the normal registration review process, to protect farmworkers and other people that work with this pesticide from serious health risks.

• EPA Reaches Agreement on Early Mitigation Measures Initiative for an Organophosphate Pesticide

Recent Enforcement Actions

Please ensure all applicable rules and regulations are followed when distributing or using pesticide products. Feel free to reach out to BPC staff with any questions at pesticides@maine.gov. Notice of Warning issued to general use pesticide dealer for sale of aquatic herbicides which are designated restricted use pesticides by the State of Maine.

• Notice of Warning issued to general use pesticide dealer for sale of aquatic herbicides which are designated restricted use pesticides by the State of Maine.
• Pesticide Use Advisory Letter issued for commercial high-volume herbicide application conducted when conditions favored drift in an area open to the public.

BPC Staff Changes

The BPC has a current vacancy and BPC staff are excited to welcome two new hires.

• New Director Vacancy, Megan Patterson is now the Division Director for Plant and Animal Heath
• Jennie Poisson – Inspector, Southwest Maine
• Shannon Gustafson – Inspector, Central Maine

Articles of Interest

The UMaine Tick Lab is adding capacity for testing two additional viruses.

• UMaine Extension Tick Lab adds Powassan virus and Heartland virus to tick testing service. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab is adding two new pathogens to its tick testing panels. The Tick Lab will now be screening ticks for Powassan virus and Heartland virus in addition to testing for the pathogens that cause Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis and tularemia. Powassan virus is a rare but serious pathogen that can be transmitted by infected deer ticks, woodchuck ticks or squirrel ticks; Heartland virus has been linked to the bite of a lone star tick. Powassan virus can cause severe neurological symptoms and is a potentially fatal illness. 

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

The BPC promotes the principles and implementation of IPM and other science-based technology to minimize reliance on pesticides while recognizing that outbreaks of disease, insects and other pests will necessitate fluctuations in pesticide use.

• As we all know too well, tick season is upon us. There are important Integrated Pest Management principles that can help you navigate through this challenging season. Please visit the University of Maine Cooperative Extension site for helpful information on personal protection, pet protection, tick surveillance, landscape modification, chemical control, and biological control.

Mirror Lake from Ragged Mountain