LOG HOME

CONSTRUCTION AND
MAINTENANCE TIPS:
HOW TO PREVENT DECAY AND INSECTS

J. Frederick Allen
Director
 LOG HOME CONSTRUCTION
AND MAINTENANCE TIPS:
HOW TO PREVENT DECAY AND INSECTS

BY

TERRY S. PRICE1, LONNIE H. WILLIAMS2,

AND TERRY L. AMBURGEY3

INTRODUCTION
Log houses have again become popular throughout
the South. Personal experience and numerous inquiries
from owners of log homes indicate that many of these
homes are highly susceptible to damage by decay fungi
and insects. In most instances, the problems occur be-
cause of combinations of three factors – the type of logs
used in construction, designs that so not protect logs from
rainwetting, and lack of maintenance of exterior wall sur-
faces.
Most of the historic log surfaces in the South were
constructed of the durable heartwood of relatively large,
slow-grown trees, whereas most modern log homes are
constructed of logs from small diameter, fast-grown trees
consisting of sapwood that is susceptible to decay fungi
and insects. Also, many of the older log structures were
single-story and featured wide roof overhangs and long
porches that protected logs from weather. Many modern
log homes are two story, have very short roof overhangs,
and have few porches. While these design features are
acceptable in northern climates, they do not sufficiently
protect the exterior log surfaces of homes in warm, hu-
mid, southern climates more favorable to decay. Experi-
ence has shown that the use of unfinished, untreated sap-
wood siding or logs on the exterior of buildings in the
South whose walls are not protected by porches or roof
overhangs almost invariably leads to attack by insects
and decay fungi.

1/
Entomologist, Georgia Forestry Commission, Macon, GA
2/
Principal Entomologist, USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest
Experiment Station, Gulfport, MS
3/
Professor and Wood Decay Specialist, Forest Products Laboratory,
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
 PREVENTING DECAY AND INSECTS
BY PROPER LOG HANDLING

Decay and Insect Prevention Begins

with the Manufacturer

Many problems with decay and insects could be

eliminated by utilizing logs rapidly and by protecting
them during seasoning and storage. Rapid utilization
requires removing the logs from the woods and de-
barking them as soon as possible after cutting. For
both fungi and insects, colonization of logs is less
likely if trees and logs are cut in late fall and winter.
Logs that are left unprotected for several weeks
after being cut often become colonized by a variety of
fungi. These logs usually can be recognized by exam-
ining the ends for discolorations, often wedge-shaped,
caused by stain fungi. The ends of logs that are used
rapidly and are protected from fungi during seasoning
will be free of irregular-shaped discolorations.

Fig. 1. Blue staining fungi. (USFS Photo)

After logs are removed from the woods and de-

barked, they should be dipped in a preservative
chemical and stored off the ground, preferably under
a roof, to dry air. This chemical treatment is only de-
signed to protect the logs while they dry, not to pro-
vide permanent protection. It is very hazardous to con-
struct log homes from small-diameter, unseasoned
logs or logs that have not been debarked.
 Some log home manufacturers prefer to kiln-dry,
or at least partially kiln-dry, their logs after debarking
them. This is a good practice, provided that the kiln-
dried logs are protected from being rewetted during
storage. Temperatures reached during kiln-drying
should be high enough to kill beetle larvae and fungi
in logs.
Other manufacturers have their log-kits fumigated
with toxic gases. Fumigation provides no long-last-
ing protection and does not necessarily ensure
against beetle infestations. Beetles and fungi may
infest unseasoned, fumigates wood within days after
treatment.
Practices for handling and storing logs should be
adapted to the specific preservative treatment pro-
cedures being used.1 Procedures now being used
include: superficial dip treatment of unseasoned logs
in fungicides to control molds and stain fungi, dip treat-
ment of unseasoned logs in diffusible chemicals to
control insects and decay fungi, and pressure treat-
ment of seasoned logs to control insects and decay
fungi. Logs treated by all of these procedures will
require the application of maintenance treatments to
the exterior walls of homes constructs from them.
However, the combination of chemicals and frequency
of treatment will vary depending on procedures used
during manufacture.
Non-diffusible chemicals used for dip treatment
primarily coat the surface of unseasoned logs and
only slightly penetrate seasoned ones. Diffusible
chemicals (e.g., borates), can penetrate deeply into
unseasoned logs when used for dip treating and can
penetrate deeply into unseasoned or seasoned logs
when used in pressure treatments. The water-borne
preservatives used to pressure treat logs (e.g.,
chromated copper arsenate and zinc naphthenate)
can penetrate deeply into seasoned logs; unfortu-
nately, some manufacturers attempt to treat unsea-
soned logs with these preservatives.
Diffusible chemicals (borates) move through the
water in unseasoned wood from area of high con-
centration on the surface to one of lower concentra-
tion within wood. Penetration is best when wood
moisture content is high. An advantage to the buyer

1/
Log home construction and maintenance: Preventing Decay and In-
sect Problems by Terry L. Amburgey and Lonnie H. Williams, Missis-
sippi State University Bulletin in Preparation.
of borate-treated logs is that the depth of penetration
can be verified by simple color-reaction tests. More
details about these tests and the diffusion process
are available in videotapes in ½ inch VHS format
(USFS).1

Fig. 2. Wood samples treated with Tim-Bor®, an EPA reg-

istered wood preservative. The color graduation from
the surface to the center of the wood indicates the
extent of treatment. (United States Borax and Chemi-
cal Corporation Photo)

1/
Write to: William H. Sites, USDA Forest Service, Region 8, Forest
Pest Management, P.O. Box 2680, Ashville, NC 28802, for self addressed,
postage-paid video tape request form.
 PREVENTING DECAY

By Using Building Designs and Construction

Techniques that Keep Logs Dry

Assuming that sound logs are delivered to the

building site, decay can be prevented by use of build-
ing designs and construction techniques that protect
logs from excessive wetting. Wide roof overhangs
and long porches, especially on the side of the struc-
ture most frequently exposed to wind-blown rain, are
very important for keeping logs dry. It is nearly im-
possible to keep the walls of two story homes dry.
Wherever end grain of logs is exposed, such as win-
dows, doors, and end-to-end joints of logs, it should
be protected from rainwetting because wood prima-
rily absorbs water through the end grain. Many log
home manufacturers do not adequately protect the
end grain of logs exposed at openings in the walls.
Protection should include the use of preservative
chemicals as well as flashing, trim, and caulking. As
in any structure, site drainage should be altered to
assure that water drains away from the house on all
sides.

Fig. 3. The logs in this two-story house

have been stained from continual
rainwetting. Roof overhangs
should be at least 24” wide to of-
fer more protection. (GFC Photo)
 Fig. 4. These log ends are continually rxposed
to rainwetting. (GFC Photo)

PREVENTING DECAY

By Maintaining Exterior Log Surfaces

Variations of three types of logs are available in

modern log-home kits: (1) whole logs from small-diam-
eter trees consisting primarily of sapwood, (2) squared
logs consisting primarily of heartwood from large diam-
eter trees, and (3) round logs shaped from square logs
from large diameter trees consisting primarily of heart-
wood. These types of logs vary in their degree of sus-
ceptibility to fungi and insects, but all require protective
treatments on their exposed surfaces. Special precau-
tions must be taken when small-diameter, mostly sap-
wood, logs are used in construction.
 All exterior surfaces of logs should be brush – or
spray – treated soon after house erection with a wood
preservative formulation that also contains a water
repellent. Ideally, the formulation should contain both
a fungicide and an insecticide because beetles that
infest relatively dry wood in use are present in South-
ern and Atlantic coastal states. Wherever wood end
grain is exposed to frequent wetting, such as at house
corners, it should be thoroughly treated. The exterior
surfaces should be retreated after about 6 and 18
months and, thereafter, at 4 – 5 year intervals. This
will assure that untreated wood that is exposed as
wood checks and splits during seasoning will receive
treatment. Large checks and splits, especially those
on the upper faces of logs, should be caulked follow-
ing treatment to prevent entry of moisture. These
exterior maintenance procedures also should be fol-
lowed on homes fabricated from logs that have been
pressure treated with preservative to protect untreated
heartwood exposed at checks.
Wood sealers or film-forming finishes should not
be used on either the interior or exterior surfaces of
logs until at least one heating season has passed.
Film forming finishes and “sealers: tend to trap mois-
ture in logs and promote decay.

INDENTIFYING, PREVENTING, AND

CONTROLLING INSECT INFESTATIONS IN
LOG HOUSES

Log houses are susceptible to attack by many dif-

ferent insects with very different habits. Termites may
attack nearly any wood species. Other insects will
use wood of many species, or beetle exit holes in
logs, only as nesting sites. Various beetles are the
most common problem.

Beetles that Attack Freshly Cut Logs

Softwood species are most often used for log

homes, and include pine, spruce, fir, hemlock, north-
ern white cedar, western redcedar, and cypress. In
warm weather, freshly cut logs of all softwoods fre-
quently are attacked within a few days after tree fell-
ing be beetles commonly called buprestid or metallic
wood borers (larvae are called flat-headed borers) and
by long-horned beetles (adults are often called pine
sawyers, larvae are called round headed borers).
Fig. 5.(A) Larva of a metallic wood boring beetle. (SFIWC Photo)

Fig. 5.(B) Adult metallic wood boring beetle. (Van Waters and
Rogers Photo)

Fig. 6. Larvae of the longhorned beetle. (SFIWC Photo)

 These borers lay eggs in bark; eggs hatch within
2 to 4 weeks. Larvae feed for a few weeks just under
the bark before boring into the log, going deeper as
logs dry (particularly the buprestids). The life cycle
usually is 1 to 2 years, but larvae may feed for at
least 6 years when wood moisture is low. During each
year, new holes appear as adults emerge.
When many holes appear in the log walls of struc-
tures and homeowners hear chewing, rasping sounds
or more feeding larvae within logs, they worry about
the permanence of their house. No one can definitely
say how many more adults might emerge or for how
long. Emerging adults cannot infest dry logs lacking
bark, so infestations will die out of their own accord
after all larvae have completed their life cycles. How-
ever, alarmed homeowners want immediate control;
therefore fumigation is often done even though the
money could be better spent on other measure (see
old house borer, next section).
Clearly the prevention of these wood borers is the
responsibility of the manufacturer. Surface applica-
tions of insecticides will not kill larvae deeply within
logs and fumigates often do not penetrate “wet” logs
effectively. Therefore, prevention is much easier than
control. How well prevention is achieved depends on
how quickly freshly cut logs are debarked and on how
deeply treatment chemicals penetrate into wood. If
debarking is delayed, larvae may be below the depth
that nondiffusible chemicals will penetrate. Surviving
larvae will continue to feed and may later emerge as
adults. Emerging adults do not ingest treated wood,
so a quick-acting contact insecticide must be used to
prevent emergence.
Ambrosia beetle adults also attack hardwood and
softwood logs, usually before and sometimes after
debarking. Females bore around tunnels (1/8-inch di-
ameter or less) deeply across grain to lay eggs and
inoculate the wood with ambrosia fungus. Tunnels
lack boring dust, which is expelled, and their walls
are stained dark brown or black. It is best to debark
logs quickly; the fungus does not grow as wood dries
below 30% moisture content. Adults sometimes at-
tack erected houses, particularly when logs are wet-
ted or are freshly finished with stains that contain al-
coholic solvents which attract these beetles. Offspring
rarely survive from such attacks.
 Fig. 7. Wood boring beetles lay
their eggs in small pits
which they chew in the
bark. (SFIWC Photo)

Fig. 8. Exit holes made by adult wood boring beetles may

be oval to flattened in shape depending on the
species. (GFC Photo)
 Beetles that Attack and may Reinfest
Dry, Debarked Wood

Adults of a round-headed borer, commonly called

the old house borer, are strong fliers and are at-
tracted to odors from recently processed softwoods.
They infest only pine, spruce, or fir when wood mois-
ture content ranges from 30% to 10%. Old house
borers do not resemble adult buprestids, but the ¼
to 3/8 inch oval exit holes, powder in tunnels, and
chewing sounds of larvae are very similar and often
confused. Adults emerge during June and July in
most locations. Eggs are laid in small cracks on wood
surfaces during June through possible September.
In the South, a minimum of 2 to 3 years is required
from egglaying until adults emerge. Infestations in
houses less than 2 years old means the logs were
infested before construction.
Logs infested before treatment may remain
infested when non-penetrating chemical treat-
ments allow larvae to survive in untreated log
centers. These larvae emerge as adult beetles
that chew holes without ingesting treated wood.

Fig. 9. An old house borer adult next to exit hole (USFS

Photo)
These beetles may survive to lay eggs in untreated
wood exposed in exit holes or in cracks as partially
seasoned logs continue to dry. Unless a deeply pen-
etrating treatment has been used, insecticides must
be applies to exterior walls either before or with the
scheduled water repellent preservative treatment re-
quired for prevention of decay fungi. Insecticide sur-
face treatments will not kill larvae deep in wood and
are not recommenced for interior surfaces; finishes
further limit effectiveness. Injection treatments into
exit holes may be effective for limited infestations in-
side homes.
Heavy, widespread infestations may need to be
fumigated. Fumigants provide no residual protection,
do not penetrate “wet” logs very well, and often fail to
control beetles in logs houses. But fumigation may
give immediate control and is a corrective measure
accepted by financial institutions when houses are
being sold. Old house borer (and buprestid) larvae
tend to concentrate in exterior log surfaces where
moisture is high. Beetle exit holes and tunnels rarely
cause structural damage, but moisture that accumu-
lates in them promotes the growth of decay fungi.
Therefore, money spent for fumigation could be more
effectively spent for water repellent preservative plus
insecticide treatments of exterior log surfaces and
for other measures needed for long-term protection
against decay, old house borers, and anobiid beetles.

Fig. 10. Many of the wood boring beetles produce exit holes
that are similar in size and shape. The holes in
this photo were made by at least two separate
species. (GFC Photo)
 Anobiid beetles naturally occur throughout the
South and may attack untreated wood in exterior logs
or exposed wood in crawl spaces. Wood must have
a moisture content above 13% (but preferably below
20%). Pine and yellow-poplar are often attacked, but
many other hardwoods also are susceptible. Cedar
and western softwoods are not attacked by the most
common anobidd species in the South. Anobiid in-
festations in recently processed logs are limited to
occasional minor ones by species that only infest bark
(these need no control).
Lyctid powderdust beetles only attack hardwoods

Fig. 11. This Anobiid beetle is widely distributed through-

out the Eastern states and is the most common in
the Southeastern states. (SFIWC Photo)

with large pores and 3% or more starch content.

These beetles usually reinfest wood and may severely
damage sapwood portions of oak or walnut logs,
sometimes used for log homes. Recently processed
hardwood molding, picture framing, flooring, and fur-
niture are often infested.
Anobiid – or lyctid – infested wood from old build-
ings is sometimes reused for bookcases, paneling,
flooring, or picture framing. If round 1/8 inch diam-
eter holes and powder-filled tunnels are in such wood,
it should be discarded or possibly fumigated or kiln-
dried before use. Piles of fresh-looking powder on or
beneath wood suggests live larvae are present.
 Powder of anabiids feels gritty, lyctids like talcum
powder. Anobiid adults may emerge from infested
wood placed in centrally heated or air conditioned
spaces, but wood moisture will be too low for survival
of small larvae. This is not true for lyctids. To kill lyctids
before using wood, move wood from 60 to 800 tem-
peratures and store at 00F or below for at least 48
hours for 1-inch-thick wood.

Fig. 12.(A) A picture frame infested with lyctid powder post

beetles. Note the talcum powder-like boring
dust.

Fig. 12.(B) Adult lyctid beetle. (USFS Photos)

 Insects that Use Wood as a Nesting Site

Carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and many soli-

tary wasp and bee species are common in log houses.
These insects are primarily a nuisance, and are not
likely to cause serious damage quickly.
Carpenter ants often nest in stumps or other
buried wood outside the home and enter homes to
find sugar or organic matter as food. Ant workers, ¼
to ½ inch long and reddish brown to black, do not eat
wood, but excavate shallow nests with smooth (as if
sanded) walls, preferably in moist, decaying wood.
Preferred nesting sites are readily available in exte-
rior log surfaces, around windows and doors, and in
heartwood log centers in many houses. The nests
cause only minor damage unless large colonies are
present for several years.
If the main nest of the ants is outside, it must be
located and treated for satisfactory control. Reduc-
ing moisture traps for decay prevention also reduces
favorable nest sites for ants.

Fig. 13. Carpenter ants; adult female shown with wings

removed. Male and female reproductives have
two pairs of membranous wings of unequal size.
(Van Waters and Rogers Photo)
 Adult carpenter bees resemble bumble bees.
Both have yellow hair over most of their black bod-
ies, but the carpenter bee differs by having a hairless
abdomen. The adult female bee bores a 3/8- to ½-
inch round hole into wood, makes a right angle turn,
and tunnels along the grain of the wood. Wood is not
ingested, but discarded out the entrance hole. The
tunnel is partitioned into cells, each containing a ball
of pollen and nectar and egg. The offspring feed on
this food until mature, then all emerge through the
hole made by the parent female. Young adults over-
winter until April or May, feed on nectar, mate and
often reuse the tunnel where they were reared to lay
eggs. Reused tunnels may be several feet long. Re-
peated tunneling may weaken an individual timber.

Fig. 14. A carpenter bee. Note the hairless abdomen.

(GFC Photo)

Fig. 15. Carpenter bee holes can be distinquished from

other insect holes by their size and rounded
shape. (GFC Photo)
 Solitary wasps and bees place food and eggs
in beetle exit holes in log walls and seal the hole with
a “wall” of dirt. The offspring bores the small hole in
the wall of dirt to come out, often causing powdered
dirt to accumulate beneath the hole. This is some-
times mistaken for a beetle infestation. These insects
do not harm wood; caulking beetle holes to prevent
decay eliminates them.
Carpenter bees can be controlled by injecting rec-
ommended insecticides into nests and tunnels. Dust
formulations often work best. Seal treated bee holes
with a dowel rod or silicone sealer. Preventing nest-
ing by bees in logs is very difficult, even pressure-
treated wood is sometimes attacked. Painting fre-
quently-attacked timber will sometimes discourage
bees.

Fig. 16. This beetle exit hole is being used by a solitary

nesting wasp. Note the red dirt packed over the
entrance. (GFC Photo)

Termites

Log houses should not be any more susceptible

to subterranean termites than conventional houses
if soil beneath and around foundations is treated be-
fore construction with a recommended insecticide.
(This treatment is best done by a licensed pest con-
trol operator with proper equipment). The soil treat-
ment creates a toxic barrier between termite colo-
nies in the sol and wood in the home. For a better
barrier, avoid earth/wood contacts and wood near soil.
Log houses in southern coastal regions will remain
very susceptible to drywood termites unless exte-
rior logs are well-treated with a deeply penetrating
chemical or treated regularly with an insecticide.
Drywood termites fly to wood and need no contact
with soil to live.

Fig. 17. Wood to ground contact should be avoided at all

times. (USFS Photo)
 SUMMARY

Buying a log-kit home is like buying a new car,

frequently decisions are based on appearance rather
than long-term performances. Cars as wall as homes
are not all designed and built in the same way; some
will require more maintenance than others. If the home
is chosen because of its appearance (design, floor
plan, and log shape) without considering wood pro-
tection, then buyers may later face high maintenance
costs.
Before choosing a log-kit, prospective buyers
should inquire about the log handling, storage, and
treating practices of several manufacturers.1 To ask
appropriate questions, buyers should first learn some-
thing about fungi, insects, and treatments to prevent
them.
For example, chemical treatments and other prac-
tices used to prevent fungi and insects in unseasoned
wood often are designed to protect logs during pro-
cessing and construction and may not provide con-
tinued protection of wood once it is seasoned and in
a house. This is why design feature, log shapes, and
types of treatments must be considered when choos-
ing a log-home kit. Homeowner-applied maintenance
treatments usually will be needed for long-term pro-
tection even though logs have been treated by the
manufacturer. These maintenance treatments should
include both an insecticide and a preservative formu-
lation that contains a water repellent; the appropriate
combination depends upon the type of treatments
applied during manufacture.

1/
The winter quarterly issues of two log home jour-
nals provide directories of many manufacturers.
These are: Log Home Guide for Builders and Buyers
(ISSN 0707-5006) and Log Homes Annual Buyer’s
Guide (ISSN 0743-7293).
 APPENDIX

TREATMENTS FOR SPECIFIC PESTS OR USE SITES

For a list of labeled products by trade names, contact

the county agent or other authorized source in your
area. Use of some products may not be permitted in
your area.

CARPENTER ANTS AND CARPENTER BEES

For injection into crevices, holes, and tunnels in wood:

Formulations containing one or more of the following
active ingredients: bendiocarb, boric acid, carbaryl,
chlorpyrifos, diazinon, fenvalerate, propetamphos, or
propoxur. Many formulations with these ingredients
can also be applied as wood surface sprays.

ANOBIID BEETLES, LYCTID POWDERDUST

BEETLES, OLD HOUSE BORERS

For injection into holes and tunnels in wood within

structures: formulations containing one or more of
the following active ingredients: chlorpyrifos as PT
270 Dursban; pyrethrins plus piperonyl; butoxide plus
silica gel plus petroleum distillate as PT 230 Tri-Die,
lindane as Xylamon Wood Worm Killer or Xylamon
LX-Hardening.

For wood surface sprays within structures:

chlorpyrifos as Dursban L.O.

For surface sprays of exterior log walls: formula-

tions containing one or more of the following active
ingredients: 1.0% chlorpyrifos as Dursban L.O. or
Dursban TC, 0.5% Lindane (numerous formulations).

DRYWOOD TERMITES

For treatment of wood or galleries within struc-

tures: formulations containing one or more of the
following active ingredients: silica gel plus ammonium
fluosilicate, pyrenthrins plus piperonyl butoxide plus
silica gel plus petroleum distillate, chlorpyrifos as PT
270 can be injected into galleries.
SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES

For soil treatment by certified applicators: formulations

containing one or more of the following active ingredients:
chlordane, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, permethrin, hep-
tachlor, and isofenphos. Formulations containing
bendiocarb, boric acid, chlorpyrifos, or propoxur can be
injected into galleries if specified on label.

FOR ALL THE ABOVE PESTS EXCEPT CARPENTER

BEES AND SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES OTHER
THAN THE FORMOSAN SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE,
FMIGATION WITH PRODUCTS CONTAINING EITHER
METHYL BROMIDE OR SULFURAL FLOURIDE CAN
BE CONE IF CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT SUCH
TREATMENT.

MOISTURE AND DECAY PREVENTION (exterior walls)

For brush or spray applications by homeowners – Formu-

lations containing both a water repellent and a biocide such
as copper –8- quinolinolate (e.g., Woodgard II), tributylin
oxide plus 2-(thiocyano-methylthio) benzothiazole plus me-
thylene bis (thiocyanate) (e.g., Seal-Treat II wood preser-
vative), diiodomethyl-para-tolyl-sulfone plus zinc
napthenate impart water repellency but also impart a green-
ish discoloration to wood.

TREATING UNSEASONED LOGS (used by individuals)

Dip-diffusion treatments with a borate (disodium octaborate

tetrahydrate such as TIM-BOR) plus a fungicidal additive
(diiodomethyl-para-tolyl-sulfone as Amical Flowable or 2-
(thiocyano-methyltio) benzothiazole plus methylene-bis
(thiocyanate) as Busan 1009, specify formulation that is
compatible with borates are recommended because deeply
penetrating protection against insects and decay fungi may
be achieved.
1/
Some states have restrictions on the use of certain pesticides. Check
your state and local regulations. Also, because registrations of pesti-
cides are under constant review by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, consult your state forest agency, county agricultural agent or
state extension specialist to be sure the intended use is still registered.
Trade names used in this publication are solely for the purpose of pro-
viding information. Mention of a trade name does not constitute a guar-
antee or warranty of the product by the Georgia Forestry Commission,
USDA Forest Service or the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service
over other products not mentioned.
 PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENT

Pesticides used improperly can be injurious to man,

animals, and plants. Follow the directions and heed
all precautions on the labels.

Store pesticides in their original containers under lock

and keep out of reach of children and animals, and
away from food and feed.

Apply pesticides so that they do not endanger hu-

mans, livestock, crops, beneficial insects, fish and
wildlife. Do not apply pesticides when there is danger
of drift, when honey bees or other pollinating insects
are visiting plants, or in ways that may contaminate
water or leave illegal residues.

Avoid prolonged inhalation or pesticide sprays or

dusts; wear appropriate protective clothing.

If your hands become contaminated with a pesticide,

wash them immediately with soap and water. In case
a pesticide is swallowed or gets in the eyes, follow
the first aid treatment given on the label and get
prompt medical attention. If a pesticide is spilled on
your skin or clothing, remove the clothing immedi-
ately and was skin thoroughly. After handling or spray-
ing pesticides, do not eat or drink until you have
washed with soap and water.

Do not clean spray equipment or dump excess spray

material near ponds, streams, or wells. Because it is
difficult to remove all traces of herbicide from equip-
ment, do not use the same equipment for insecticides
or fungicides that you use for herbicides.

Dispose of empty pesticide containers promptly. Have

them buried at a sanitary landfill dump, or crush and
bury them in a level, isolated place.