Best Management Practices for Maryland Golf Courses

Pesticide Record Keeping

Maintaining accurate records of pesticide-related activities (for example, purchasing, storage, inventory, applications, etc.) is essential. Maryland requires that pesticide application records be maintained for a period of two years and made available to the Maryland Department of Agriculture upon request. The following information must be documented, when applicable:

name of applicator or consultant

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• date of application, recommendation, or pest identification • pest and type of plant • acreage or area treated • address of treated property • name of property • common name and EPA registration number of pesticides used or recommended • rate of concentration of pesticide used or recommended • total amount of pesticide used • EPA registration number of the product • type of equipment used* • time of day of application* • wind direction and estimated velocity • weather conditions at the site when the pesticide was applied* (This information is not required if the application consists of baits in bait stations or if it is indoors or within 3 feet of a structure.)

* Items marked with an asterisk are required to be recorded by commercial applicators, pest control consultants, and public agencies, but are not required for private applicators.

Best Management Practices

• Keep and maintain records of all pesticides used in order to meet legal (federal, state, and local) reporting requirements. • Use records to monitor pest control efforts and to plan future management actions. • Use electronic or hard-copy forms and software tools to properly track pesticide inventory and use. • Develop and implement a pesticide drift management plan. • Keep a backup set of records in a safe but separate storage area.

Pesticide Transportation, Storage, and Handling

Storage and handling of pesticides in their concentrated form poses the highest potential risk to groundwater or surface waters. For this reason, it is essential that facilities for storing and handling these products be properly sited, designed, constructed, and operated. In addition, storing large quantities of pesticides for long periods of time should be avoided. Adopting a "first in-first out" management system for pesticide purchase and storage helps to avoid a buildup of large quantities of chemicals.

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