What two things should pesticide applicators be most aware of to avoid vapor drift?

Pesticide applicators need to be particularly aware of temperature and pesticide volatility to effectively manage and avoid vapor drift. Temperature plays a crucial role because it can influence how a pesticide evaporates into the air. Higher temperatures can increase the rate of evaporation, leading to greater volatility, which in turn can cause pesticides to drift away from the target area.

Pesticide volatility is the tendency of a substance to vaporize. Highly volatile pesticides can transition easily from a liquid state into vapor at normal temperatures and may be carried off by wind currents, potentially impacting non-target areas. Understanding the interplay between temperature and volatility enables applicators to choose appropriate conditions and products, and to time their applications to minimize the risk of vapor drift.

Other factors like droplet size, wind direction, and speed are also significant in managing drift. However, they are more closely related to physical drift—where larger droplets or wind can carry the pesticide off target—rather than vapor drift specifically, which is influenced more directly by temperature and volatility. Thus, focusing on temperature and pesticide volatility is essential in addressing the challenges associated with vapor drift during pesticide application.