Ethyl parathion in wetlands following aerial application to sunflowers in North Dakota

An operational aerial application of parathion to sunflower fields resulted in greater or equal spray deposit in wetlands adjacent to or surrounded by sunflower fields than in the sunflower fields. In another application, when the applicator attempted to avoid contamination of the wetlands, parathion still drifted into wetlands in detectable amounts; in 2 of 4 comparisons, spray deposit in wetlands and sunflower fields did not differ. Weather during both spray operations was ideal for North Dakota, Le., wind speeds <16 km/ hour, excellent visibility, and temperature <24 C. We review how spray droplet size, weather, terrain, and type of application equipment interact to determine the amount of drift from any application of pesticide. With this information, wildlife managers should be able to make decisions pertaining to insecticide applications that will minimize drift and reduce negative impacts to nontarget organisms