Per Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) policy, Arizona pesticide companies are only required to release information on the active ingredients in their products.
These “active” ingredients (Acephate, Chlordane, Chlorpyrifos, ect.) are the chemicals in pesticide products that are targeted to kill, repel and control pests, herbs and insects (including bees).
Unfortunately, the “active ingredients” in most pesticides only make up a very small portion of the whole product. The rest of the chemical make-up of any given pesticide used by Arizona pest control companies are considered “inert” or “inactive” ingredients.
An inert ingredient generally is any substance (or group of similar substances) other than an active ingredient that is intentionally included in a pesticide product and are used to carry the active agent. These carrier agents are called “inerts” in pesticides because they are not toxic to the targeted pest; nevertheless, even the EPA admits that some inerts are capable of causing health problems. An unsettling bit of information indeed.
Activist groups such as the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) have been working hard to convince the EPA of the importance studies of the harmful effects caused by the use of these carrier agents might be, but the EPA still does NOT currently require pest control companies or manufacturers to report any specific information as to the exact chemical make-up of any ingredient that is not classified as an active ingredient in their product.
Examples of inert ingredients might include emulsifiers, solvents, carriers, aerosol propellants, fragrances and dyes although the exact composition of these hazardous cocktails can vary widely between one pesticide to the next.
Without much knowledge about what these chemicals are, it’s tricky for researchers to learn more about their effects on Arizona residents, animals, ect.
This is why the bee removal experts at THE BEE MAN BEE REMOVAL discourage the use of any kind of pesticide when removing any kind of bee population from a home or location. The risks involved in pesticide use in any form are too great and unpredictable. As they say, “it is better to be safe then to be sorry.”
Read more about how pesticides are effecting bee populations here: http://www.panna.org/blog/bad-news-baby-bees