Groundhog Control
Groundhogs
or woodchucks are present throughout Ontario and may require control in some
cases.
Fumigants
that contain aluminum phosphide are sold in Ontario to control groundhogs. These fumigants release a highly poisonous
and flammable gas when moisture is present.
Read the label completely, follow all safety precautions, and prepare a
fumigation management plan before you use these pesticides.
A
Certified Farmer can fumigate a groundhog borrow using aluminum phosphide on
his/her own agriculture operation if she/he follows these requirements and
rules:
Requirements
You
must have adequate respiratory equipment on your person at all times during the
fumigation and use the equipment as required by the pesticide label.
Rules
Ontario
Regulations under the Pesticides Act require that the Certified Farmer
must make sure that:
- • burrows open to the outside, not into a building,
- • all groundhog burrow entrance holes are at least 30 metres from a building, and
- you, and every other person at the extermination site, have adequate respiratory protection during the introduction of the fumigant gas.
Label
Restrictions:
Recent
amendments to aluminum phosphide product labels have placed additional
restrictions on the use of this fumigant gas to control groundhogs:
· aluminum
phosphide cannot be used within 500 metres of a residential area*,
· a Certified Farmer must
prepare a written fumigation management plan before use and,
· appropriate respiratory
equipment must be worn during application, and dry gloves of cotton or other breathable material must be worn while
handling aluminum phosphide tablets.
*The label defines a residential
area as a site where bystanders including children may be potentially
exposed during or after the application.
This includes around homes, schools, parks, playgrounds, playing fields,
public buildings or any other place where the general public including children
may be exposed. The product label
includes an “Applicator’s Manual and Guidance for Preparation of a Fumigation
Management Plan”.