Winter Pesticide Storage

By: Jodi Henke

If you have liquid pesticides that need storing over the winter, make sure they don’t freeze.

Jan Hygnstrom works with pesticide safety at University of Nebraska Extension. She says the freezing point of many liquid pesticides is lower than 32-degrees due to the hydrocarbon solvents or inert ingredients. However, if they do freeze, this can happen.

“The active ingredients can separate from some of the inert ingredients. These would be solvents, or emulsifiers, different agents that are added to make the pesticide work better,” says Hygnstrom. “Some of these emulsifiers or the inactive ingredients could crystalize or coagulate, and break down the original product, making it less effective.”