City of Davis

Due to public desire to know where and what pesticides are being applied in and along our parks, greenbelts, and miscellaneous landscaped areas that people are most likely to enter, we have established a "hotline" to provide this information. As always, no pesticide applications take place within playground areas.

The information on the hotline will be recorded Monday-Friday afternoons for the following workday's anticipated application. The information will provide the location and the pesticide which is anticipated to be applied. Because the weather conditions (e.g. windy or rainy) are not known at the time an application is planned for the following workday, the hotline information provides only anticipated applications.

Notice shall be provided to those desiring to stay clear of the entry area of an application site. The Parks and General Services Department will provide visible notice by posting "caution" signs near the application areas which people are most likely to enter. At times when signs alone do not adequately provide sufficient notice, a second person may be present to inform people entering the area where pesticides are being or have been applied.

The definition of pesticide is "an agent used to destroy pests". Weeds or insects can be considered pests. Herbicides are used for weeds and insecticides for insects. Applications throughout the year vary and generally depend upon season. Round Up Pro, for example, is a non-selective post-emergent herbicide used year round for control of most weeds in our landscaped areas. During the fall and early winter months, a herbicide know as Snapshot is commonly used. Snapshot is a pre-emergent herbicide used for control of annual weeds and requires a minimum of one half inch of rainfall to activate. In the summer months the use of selective herbicides such as Garlon 4 and Turflon may be necessary. Products known as selective herbicides are used to control specific species or types of weeds and/or plants. Garlon 4 and Turflon are selective broadleaf herbicides used for the control of broadleaf weeds and exotic plant species. As for the control of insects, an insecticidal soap known as Safer Soap is commonly used. This product is often used in spring/summer for control of aphids that regularly appear on roses and is similar to dish soap. All products mentioned above are classified as category III pesticides which are within the least toxic category of pesticide.

If you have further questions about the Pesticide Information Hotline, please call the Public Works Department at (530) 757-5656 or email pwweb@cityofdavis.org