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Pesticide Questions
What is a pesticide?
What is a pest?
Are there laws that govern the use of pesticides?
Some pesticides have been taken off the market. Are they still legal to use?
What can I do with waste pesticides?
Who must be licensed to apply pesticides?
What types of pesticide applicator licenses are available?
Should youth under the age of 16 be allowed to apply pesticides?
What is a pesticide?
A pesticide is a chemical product labeled to manage or control a pest.
What is a pest?
A pest is a non-human, living organism that competes with desirable organisms, or causes discomfort or disease. Plants (weeds), insects, disease pathogens (bacteria, virus, etc.), birds or other animals can all be pests.
However, remember that what you consider a pest may be protected by law; a barn swallow or spotted skunk, for example.
Are there laws that govern the use of pesticides?
Yes. It is a violation of federal law to use, store or dispose of a pesticide in a manner that is inconsistent with the pesticide labeling. State and local laws may also apply.
In addition, you must store pesticides only in their original containers, and empty pesticide containers must not be re-used for any purpose, except for containers sold for this purpose. You must not re-package or re-sell pesticides unless you are licensed to do so, and only according to applicable laws.
Some pesticides have been taken off the market. Are they still legal to use?
Some pesticides can no longer be sold, but consumers may use existing stocks according to their labeling. Examples are Dursban, diazinon and chlordane.
Other pesticides may no longer be sold or used. Examples include DDT (Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane), 2,4,5-T, silvex and dinoseb.
What can I do with waste pesticides?
Contact your local municipality for information about hazardous waste collections that will accept the pesticides.
Who must be licensed to apply pesticides?
All pesticides are classified as either general use or restricted use. General use pesticides include the weed and insect killers commonly sold from the shelves of garden departments in local stores.
In order to purchase or apply a restricted use pesticide, you must have a current pesticide applicator license recognized in the state where you will make the application.
In addition, certain types of applications require licensing, whether the pesticide is a general use or restricted use product. For example, anyone applying pesticides for pay in the following settings, must be licensed as commercial applicators:
- Lawns and ornamentals
- Houses and other structures
- Public health settings (including applications made by employees of villages, cities or counties, such as for mosquito control).
What types of pesticide applicator licenses are available?
Private applicator: for application of restricted use pesticides in the production of an agricultural commodity, such as crops and livestock, without being paid for the application. Will not cover any other type of application.
Commercial applicator: For application of restricted use pesticides, and in some cases, general use pesticides (such as noted above) for pay.
Non-commercial applicator: for people making restricted use pesticides on lands owned or controlled by their employers or for a governmental agency, village, city or county. (Except that a private applicator license cover applications made in production of an agricultural commodity.) This license is also appropriate for those who apply either general or restricted for public health on behalf of a village, city or state.
Commercial and non-commercial applicator licenses are by category (ornamental and turf, agricultural plant, agricultural animal, public health, etc.)
Should youth under the age of 16 be allowed to apply pesticides?
Fourteen and fifteen-year-old youth are allowed to apply pesticides labeled "caution" if they are mature enough to do so safely, provided the pesticide is a general use product.
No person under the age of 16 must be allowed to handle or apply pesticides labeled "warning" or "danger," or any restricted use pesticide. A person must be 16 years of age or older in order to receive a pesticide applicator's license.
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