What are Pesticides?
A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate any pest. The term "pesticide" applies to herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and various other substances used to control pests.
A pesticide must be registered under The Pest Control Products Act (PCPA), administered by Health Canada, before it can be sold or used in Canada. The pesticide label requires that users follow directions for safe and effective use.
Health Canada's Homeowner Guidelines for Using Pesticides provides homeowners advice on the proper use, storage, and disposal of pesticides.
See Use Pesticides Safely by Health Canada for more safety tips.
Biopesticides
Biopesticides are derived from living organisms. Their naturally-occurring processes suppress weeds, plant diseases and insect pests. Biopesticides must be registered by Health Canada to be sold and used in Manitoba. Some biopesticides are sensitive to environmental conditions such as sunlight, rain, humidity or temperature. Apply during favourable conditions to improve performance.
Non-Conventional Pesticides
These pesticides have characteristics such as:
- Low inherent toxicity to humans and other non-target organisms
- Not persistent in the environment
- Low likelihood of selecting for pest resistance
- Already widely available to the public for other uses, with a history of safe use under conditions posing the equivalent potential for exposure to humans and the environment
