Pest Control with Drones · Licensed · Compliant

Canada just opened the door to drone spraying. We were already ready.

Health Canada's June 10, 2026 Letter of No Objection permits RPAS application of aerially‑registered pesticides. SkyFlow's 8 Licensed Exterminators, spanning Landscape to Agriculture, are operating across Canada now.

June 10, 2026: Health Canada Letter of No Objection in effect

The Pesticides Regulatory Directorate issued a LONO under PRO2026-01, permitting RPAS application of any pest control product whose registered label includes directions for aerial use, subject to strict conditions. The final policy took effect June 30, 2026.

Products & Application Rates

Commonly aerially-registered products for Canadian crops

The following products have historically included aerial application directions on their Canadian registered labels. Always verify the current label before use, as labels change, and only the current registered label is legally binding.

Educational notice: This information is provided for general educational purposes only, using publicly available data from Health Canada's label registry and manufacturer publications. It does not constitute pesticide application advice. Always read and follow the current registered label. Consult a Licensed Exterminator or certified agronomist for site-specific recommendations.

Fungicides

Product (A.I.)Target CropsCommon Aerial RateTarget Disease
Tilt 250E (Propiconazole)Wheat, barley, ryeUp to 500 mL/ha aerial (45 L water/ha min.)Leaf rust, septoria, powdery mildew
Quilt Xcel (Propiconazole + Azoxystrobin)Soybeans, wheat, cornRefer to label per crop/stageWhite mould, frogeye, septoria
Headline (Pyraclostrobin)Soybeans, corn, cerealsMax 18 oz/ac; max 2 applications/seasonBrown spot, frogeye leaf spot
Priaxor (Pyraclostrobin + Fluxapyroxad)Soybeans, wheat, barley, canolaPer label; min carrier volume for aerialSclerotinia, white mould, rusts
Caramba (Metconazole)Wheat, barley, canolaPer label; aerial min. 20 L/ha waterFusarium head blight (scab), rusts

Insecticides

Product (A.I.)Target CropsCommon Aerial RateTarget Pest
Matador 120EC (Lambda-cyhalothrin)Soybeans, canola, cereals83 to 233 mL/ha depending on cropSoybean aphid, armyworm, grasshoppers
Malathion 500 (Malathion)Cereals, canola, alfalfa, grassland550 to 850 mL/ha; max 1 application/seasonArmyworm, aphids, diamond back moth
Coragen (Chlorantraniliprole)Corn, soybeans, cereals, potatoesAerial 50 L/ha carrier; up to 4 applicationsCorn borer, fall armyworm, budworm
Decis (Deltamethrin)Canola, cereals, soybeansPer label for aerial useCabbage seedpod weevil, aphids, stink bugs

All rates are indicative based on publicly available label data. Verify the current label registered with Health Canada before any application. Application rates, buffer zones, and conditions of use are subject to change.

Safety & PPE

Standard PPE practices for drone pesticide operations

The LONO establishes two distinct roles with different PPE requirements. The mixer/loader and the pilot are separate people, each following different protective standards.

Mixer / Loader

Must NOT be the RPA pilot

  • Chemical-resistant gloves (neoprene or nitrile, long gauntlet style) as specified on label
  • Chemical-resistant coveralls or full waterproof protective suit
  • Chemical-resistant boots (no fabric uppers)
  • Chemical splash goggles or full-face shield
  • NIOSH-approved respirator with organic-vapour cartridge + particulate pre-filter (where label requires)
  • Hat or hood covering hair and neck
  • Wash hands and exposed skin immediately after handling

Always default to label-specified PPE. When in doubt, use a higher level of protection. Have a dedicated wash station with clean water and soap at the mixing site.

Pilot, Visual Observer & Handlers

Follow ground application PPE for the crop

Per the LONO, the pilot, visual observer, and anyone handling the RPA during application must follow PPE and mitigation measures for ground application (groundboom or airblast) to that crop. This typically includes:

  • Long-sleeved shirt and long pants (or coveralls)
  • Chemical-resistant gloves when handling wet spray equipment
  • Chemical-resistant footwear
  • Eye protection (goggles or safety glasses) when loading or near spray plume
  • Respirator if groundboom label for that product requires one
  • Stay upwind of the operating drone during active spraying
  • No bystanders within the buffer zone during application
Separation of roles is mandatory. The LONO requires the mixer/loader to be a different person than the RPA pilot. This is not a suggestion. It is a condition for legal compliance. Plan your crew accordingly.

Our Team

8 Licensed Exterminators. Turf to Agriculture.

SkyFlow holds eight Ontario Licensed Exterminators spanning categories from Landscape to Agriculture. This means we can legally apply products on turf, ornamental plantings, and agricultural crops, as long as we satisfy the criteria for each category, including holding the appropriate licence for the specific product and site.

Our crews operate across Canada, from the Ontario corn belt to canola fields on the Prairies. Every application is planned to the label, documented, and reportable.

Landscape Exterminator

Turf, ornamentals, residential & commercial plots

Agricultural Exterminator

Field crops, horticultural, specialty crops

RPA Advanced Certificate

Pilots certified by Transport Canada

Nation-wide crews

Flying across Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta & beyond

SkyFlow Dual Mix System

Our proprietary mixing system

Every SkyFlow operation uses our Dual Mix System: a three-tank, actively-agitated chemical management platform controllable via mobile app or physical remote. Two 100-gallon mixing tanks and a 500-gallon water tank. Our pump fills a DJI T50 water tank in 10 seconds, dramatically reducing turnaround time in the field.

  • 3-tank system: 2× 100 gal mixing + 1× 500 gal water
  • Active agitation: product stays in suspension
  • Mobile app control + physical remote controller
  • Fills T50 tank in ~10 seconds

Emergency response capability

Short windows for insects, disease, or wet-ground emergencies are exactly when a drone earns its keep. We scope, plan, and deploy quickly, with full documentation on every pass.

Urgent Scenarios

When the Window Closes Fast: A Guide to Urgent Applications

The LONO explicitly acknowledges urgent situations as a driver for drone application. Here is how to move quickly without cutting corners on compliance or safety.

1

Confirm the label first

Before anything else: pull the current registered label for the product. Confirm it includes aerial application directions for the specific crop and pest. No aerial directions = no drone application under PRO2026-01. This takes minutes and cannot be skipped.

2

Confirm your crew roles

Assign a dedicated mixer/loader who will not pilot the drone. Assign pilot and visual observer. Confirm each has valid certifications: provincial exterminator licence, TC Advanced RPA certificate. Separating roles is non-negotiable.

3

Prepare PPE before touching product

PPE goes on before the container is opened. Mixer/loader dons chemical-resistant gloves, coveralls, goggles, and respirator if required. Pilot and observer suit up per groundboom PPE for the crop. Have eyewash and clean water on site.

4

Check weather conditions

Wind 3 to 15 km/h (steady direction). Temperature below 30°C. Relative humidity 40 to 80%. Temperature inversion not present (early morning shortly after sunrise or before dusk is typically safer than midday). If conditions aren't right, wait. Drift during an emergency application is still a liability.

5

Set rate and volume precisely

Program the drone to deliver exactly the label-specified rate. Do not increase or decrease volume without label authorization. Buffer zones must be respected. They are not optional. Use GPS-based application mapping to confirm coverage.

6

Document everything

Record: product name & registration number, EPA/PCP number, rate applied, date and time, field GPS location, weather at application, operator names and licence numbers, total area treated. This documentation protects you legally and is required for many provincial and federal compliance frameworks.

Have a pest problem and a short window?

Call us early. We confirm the label, check your field, and get a crew out.

Drone Spray Guide

A complete guide to spraying with agricultural drones

This guide covers the operational science behind effective drone spray application: rate management, droplet physics, flight technique, and safety around field hazards. It is intended for educational purposes, drawing from publicly available research, label guidance, and established field practices from Canada, Japan, the US, and Australia.

1. Rate: the number you cannot change

Under PRO2026-01, the application rate, spray volume, and droplet size specified on the aerial label are fixed. No deviation is permitted. This is not just a regulatory requirement; it is also sound agronomics. Under-application misses threshold, and over-application creates resistance risk and may violate the label.

Importance of single-side spraying at column ends

When the drone reaches the end of a flight column and turns to begin the next pass, spraying must only be active during the inbound leg, not during the turn. Spraying through headland turns overlaps product onto the field edge, creating localized over-application and buffer zone violations. Turn the spray off before the turnaround and back on only after the drone is on-track for the next pass.

GPS logging = your rate audit

Modern agricultural drones log GPS track data and spray system output. After every job, cross-reference the flow meter data with the logged coverage area to verify that the as-applied rate matches the label. This data is your legal defense and your planning tool for the next pass.

2. Droplet size and the weather envelope

Droplet size (measured as Volume Median Diameter, VMD, in micrometers µm) governs the trade-off between coverage and drift. Smaller droplets cover more surface area but evaporate faster and drift farther in wind. Larger droplets resist drift but may bounce off waxy leaf surfaces and provide less uniform coverage.

Research from China's DJI field studies, the University of Queensland, and USDA consistently finds that 200 to 300 µm VMD is the working range for most broadcast agricultural applications. Avoid droplets below 150 µm in open fields. Drift risk climbs sharply. Labels often specify droplet class (e.g., "medium" to "coarse" per ASABE S572.3 standard).

Hot & dry (>28°C, RH <40%)

Increase droplet size by 50 to 100 µm above your baseline. Spray early morning or after 6 PM. Evaporation at 30°C+ shrinks droplets in flight. What leaves the nozzle at 200 µm may land at 140 µm or simply drift away. Reduce boom height.

Windy (>15 km/h steady)

Do not spray. Drift risk is too high for open-field broadcast application. 8 to 15 km/h is marginal: increase droplet size significantly, reduce flight altitude, spray only with wind blowing away from sensitive areas. Ideal: 3 to 10 km/h stable.

Cool & humid (<18°C, RH >75%)

Standard or slightly smaller droplet size is acceptable. Evaporation is slow, so smaller droplets are less likely to disappear before reaching the target. Watch for temperature inversions early morning. Inversions trap small droplets aloft and can carry them long distances.

Calm (0 to 3 km/h) with high humidity

Risk of temperature inversion is elevated, especially early morning. Inversions can suspend fine droplets and carry them unpredictably. Wait for slight breeze (3+ km/h) to provide directional airflow. Spray with coarser droplets if inversion is suspected.

Mild (18 to 26°C, RH 50 to 70%)

Ideal spraying window. Follow label droplet size specification exactly. Optimal conditions for most Ontario field-crop applications fall here: late morning to mid-afternoon on overcast days, or early evening on clear days.

Rain expected within 2 to 4 hours

Avoid application of water-soluble products without a defined rain-fast interval on the label. Systemic fungicides often need 1 to 4 hours to be absorbed. Contact insecticides are washed off by rain immediately. Check the label's rain-fast interval before committing.

3. The 45-degree spray track rule of thumb

A widely-used field rule of thumb in drone and conventional aerial application is that the spray track angle should form approximately 45 degrees relative to the prevailing wind direction. This is not a strict regulation, but a practical guideline for optimizing the spray pattern.

Flying directly into or parallel to the wind creates uneven deposition: crosswind passes can drift product to one side of the boom, while directly-into-wind passes concentrate droplets at the leading edge. A 45-degree track angle balances the drift across the swath width, producing more uniform coverage across the canopy.

In practice: Before flying, note the wind direction with a flag or smoke at field level (not just the forecast). Set your flight path so the track crosses the wind at roughly 45°. If rows are fixed (e.g., tilled rows or orchard rows), note that you may need to compromise between row alignment and optimal wind angle. In that case, prioritize staying within 30 to 60° of the ideal angle.

4. Flight speed, downwash, and spray accuracy

Flight speed directly controls two things: the rate at which product is deposited per unit area (which must match the label rate via flow control) and the degree to which rotor downwash can assist in pinning droplets to the target.

How slower speed improves accuracy

At lower flight speeds (5 to 10 km/h), the drone spends more time over each square metre of canopy. The rotor downwash (the column of air driven downward by the propellers) has time to interact with the droplet plume and push it toward the target surface. This "pinning" effect is particularly valuable in dense canopies, on taller crops, and when trying to get product to the back of leaves.

At higher speeds (15+ km/h), the downwash column is angled rearward and its vertical component is reduced. Droplets have less time to settle and are more susceptible to cross-wind deflection.

Low speed ascend: what it is and when to use it

"Low speed ascend" (available as a configurable mode on most agricultural drones including DJI T-series) limits the rate at which the drone climbs at the start of a row or after a waypoint turn. Without it, a rapid climb creates a burst of rotor disturbance that can scatter the spray plume at the critical start of each pass.

Enable low speed ascend for standard field work where you want a clean, controlled start to each spray pass.

Turn off low speed ascend when flying below power lines, where a fast, deliberate climb away from the wire on exit is more important than spray-pattern smoothness (covered in the hazard section below).

5. Back-of-leaf deposition: when and how

For most foliar applications, depositing product on the upper leaf surface is sufficient. However, certain diseases and pests primarily occupy the underside (abaxial surface) of leaves, making back-of-leaf deposition the agronomically correct target. Achieving this with a drone requires a specific technique.

When you need back-of-leaf coverage

  • Fungicides targeting Sclerotinia (white mould on soybeans): spores infect from flowering petals that fall to mid-canopy
  • Botrytis (grey mould) on strawberries, tomatoes, grapes: thrives on shaded inner surfaces
  • Powdery mildew (cucurbits, cereals): sporulation on abaxial surface in early stages
  • Spider mites: colonies always on leaf underside
  • Aphids: dense colonies on abaxial leaf surface
  • Whitefly: eggs and immature stages on leaf underside

Technique: low speed + high volume

The combination of low forward speed (3 to 7 km/h) and a higher carrier volume (relative to what the label permits) creates the conditions for back-of-leaf penetration:

  1. 1.The drone moves slowly, so the rotor downwash column is nearly vertical and sustained over each canopy position.
  2. 2.The downwash pushes the spray plume downward and outward through gaps in the canopy.
  3. 3.Droplets that enter the canopy space encounter leaves from below, exposing the underside surface to deposition.
  4. 4.Higher carrier volume (within label limits) increases the volume of spray moving through the canopy, improving the probability of underside contact.

Note: Even with optimal technique, guaranteed 100% abaxial coverage from a drone is not realistic for dense, closed canopies. For high- value crops with severe disease pressure, ground airblast application may still be superior for underside penetration. Drone application can be an effective complement or emergency tool, not always the primary method.

6. Flight safety: operating near power lines

This section describes serious electrical hazard. Power lines carry high voltage and present a lethal risk to operators and a catastrophic equipment loss risk. Never assume a line is de-energized. Never rely on visual clearance alone. Always treat all power lines as live. The following guidance is educational and intended to help operators plan safe operations. It is not a substitute for site-specific risk assessment.

Agricultural fields in Ontario and across Canada commonly have hydro distribution or transmission lines running through or along field edges. These do not always run in straight lines. Poles can be offset, lines can span diagonals, and support hardware can extend into the field.

1

Avoid the area

The safest option is always to exclude the corridor under and around power lines from the spray mission. Set a keep-out zone in your mission planner that extends at minimum the full buffer specified by your province's electrical safety authority (typically 15 m horizontally from the nearest conductor). Treat the unsprayed strip manually if needed.

2

Fly below the wire

If the lowest conductor is 9 feet (approximately 2.7 m) or more above the drone's operating altitude, flying below the wire may be acceptable, provided there is no risk of the drone striking the wire during normal or emergency climb. Confirm clearance with a physical measurement, not a visual estimate.

Turn off low speed ascend before flying below power lines. You need the drone to climb quickly on exit. A slow ascend rate creates risk of wire contact on the way out.

3

Fly above the wire

If a 9-foot clearance below cannot be achieved, and the mission requires covering the strip under the line, plan a crossing pass above the wire. This requires specific adaptations to maintain spray quality from altitude:

  • Increase droplet size by ~100 µm above your field baseline (increased fall distance requires larger droplets to resist drift and evaporation)
  • Reduce forward speed to 5 to 10 ft/s to allow maximum dwell time and downwash interaction
  • Use four nozzles where possible: this distributes the plume more broadly from altitude
  • Fly in Manual Plus mode to maintain precise altitude over the wire
  • On DJI agricultural drones: the top-left "Recording" button on the remote enables spraying when in Manual Plus mode. Confirm this before the pass
Power lines do not always run straight through a field.

Poles may be offset from the line of travel, and the spans between poles can sag significantly, particularly in summer heat. Walk the line before flying and note every pole location. Poles at the end of a run may turn at an angle you did not account for in your mission plan.

Guy wires (the angled tension cables that brace poles) are a severe hazard. They are thinner than conductors, harder to see, and can form unexpected triangular arrangements extending into the field at diagonal angles. These cables keep poles under tension and are under high mechanical stress. Striking one can pull a pole down. Always walk all four approaches to each pole before flying nearby.

General power line pre-flight checklist

Walk the field boundary and identify every power structure
Note all guy wires and diagonal bracing cables
Measure conductor height at lowest sag point
Mark keep-out or caution zones in mission planner
Plan approach and exit routes away from poles
Brief your visual observer on wire locations before flight
Confirm RTH altitude is above the highest wire in the area
Have a manual takeover plan for any wire proximity

Common questions

Is drone pest control legally allowed in Canada?
Yes. As of June 10, 2026 (LONO) and June 30, 2026 (final policy), Health Canada permits RPAS application of any pest control product whose registered label includes aerial application directions, provided all conditions of the LONO/PRO2026-01 are met.
How do I know if my product qualifies?
Pull the current registered label from Health Canada's Pesticide Label Search tool. Look for 'aerial application' directions specific to your crop. If it says aerial, a drone can apply it. If there are no aerial directions, a drone cannot be used under PRO2026-01.
Can one person mix and fly?
No. The LONO explicitly requires the mixer/loader to be a different person from the RPA pilot. This is a mandatory condition, not a recommendation.
What certifications does SkyFlow hold?
SkyFlow holds 8 Licensed Exterminator certificates (Ontario, spanning Landscape to Agriculture categories) and Transport Canada Advanced RPA Pilot Certificates. We also carry commercial liability insurance appropriate for pesticide application operations.
My field is too wet for a ground rig. Can you spray it?
Yes. Wet ground is one of the primary use cases for drone application. The drone does not need wheel access. We can spray fields that a boom sprayer cannot safely enter.
What is SkyFlow Dual Mix and why does it matter?
It's our proprietary three-tank chemical management system. It keeps product agitated (preventing settling), allows precise metering, and refills a DJI T50 tank in about 10 seconds, dramatically cutting field turnaround time during time-sensitive applications.
Do you spray in bad weather?
No. We follow label conditions on temperature, wind, and humidity. If conditions create unacceptable drift risk or reduce efficacy, we reschedule. The right conditions matter more than the fastest timeline.
Is this information on your website official regulatory guidance?
No. This page is for educational purposes only, based on publicly available data. Always refer to the current Health Canada registered label and consult a certified agronomist or exterminator for site-specific pesticide decisions.

Ready to put a licensed crew in the field?

We confirm the label, scope the field, and plan the pass. You get a documented application with full records, with product on crop in the right window.

Educational disclaimer: This page presents publicly available information for general educational purposes. It does not constitute legal, regulatory, or professional agronomic advice. All pesticide applications must comply with the current Health Canada registered label, applicable provincial legislation, and Transport Canada airspace regulations. Always consult a Licensed Exterminator or certified crop adviser before making pesticide application decisions. SkyFlow does not assume liability for use of this information outside of SkyFlow-operated services.