Robert's Rants
Robert's Rants
A personal blog on the Canadian pesticide industry and other pet peeves and interests

Can I control insects without pesticides? You betcha!

Well, with a couple of caveats: Time is irrelevant , it may take 3 life cycles or say 4-6 months. How much do I charge? How much do you have? 😉 And Health Canada reclassifies what actually constitutes a pesticide, and adopt a system where “Generally Regarded As Safe” products are outside this new definition […]

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Mosquito Less(on) Learned

This just seemed like this little screw up needed documented. There have been several attempts at bringing 25b products or those Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) products into Canada. You remember the EPA decided products like thyme oil, spearmint oil and other plant based extracts did not require a full blow data package, or any […]

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I’m always amazed at the beauty of a simple Spider web.

I took the above picture last night as the sun was starting to set. Simply beautiful for a split second, with time and hour and planets lined up just right. like a tiny moment of Zen. 10 seconds later a yellow jacket hit the web and a short battle ensued, with the spider using all […]

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Bancouver smarter than Ottawa?

So I’m certain by now you’ve all heard the news about the big neonic cancellation in the westerly coast city of Bancouver.   Just that one little city, where if you step across the street into Burnaby or West Van or Surrey or wherever you can use neonics to your heart’s content. C’mon, I thought that […]

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BIG CONTEST – WIN A BOTTLE OF DEMAND CS

Okay, here’s the contest and it’s easy peasy as my Granddaughter says: The first person to accurately count the number of times “Toxic to Bees” appears on the NEW DRAGNET LABEL wins! Use the label on the PMRA label search, dated last August. Simply email me with your guess…I mean count…to rpercy@gardexinc.com. I’ll give you […]

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COVID 19: The Insects Don’t Care

Surprised I have written after being semi-isolated for the past 5 weeks. I say “semi” as there’s still doctors, drugs and digestables, and I am the designated shopper.  We do share those duties a bit, but with checking in at work and running my other errands it’s just as easy to stop somewhere. Plus I […]

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The Windshield Test, fascinating…but scary as hell

I get the NY Times every Sunday, just to do the cross word and keep my mind fit.  But occasionally I do read something. In the December 2nd issue I believe, in the Times Magazine, was a fascinating article on how a teacher/professor in northern Europe carried out a simple experiment. The article started out […]

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Insect Control 101. Can Logic Prevail? Before I retire?

As usual I have to preface this Rant that I am not advocating anything relating to using a chemical out side of the rules and regulations set forth by the government. When we are forced to put Pictograms on labels for the reading challenged, will it turn out to be 345 pages so we can […]

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PMRA: Do Labels Need to be So Confusing??? Pictograms baby!

This year like every other I get several daily phone calls about what product to use on what insect for what location.  I try not to wince too much when I await the response to “Have you read the Label?”  And don’t tell smile too much when you say “Of course!  I always read the […]

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Bed bugs are labelled…just not where they hide!

Here’s a prime example of an on-going PROBLEM in our federal registration process, and with the supplier industry to some extent. On the label, and rightly so, are statements explaining WHERE you can use a pesticide, and on WHAT pest, and at the correct RATE. Easy Peesy as my granddaughter would say. Au contraire.. A […]

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