NH Pesticide Applicator key terms

A pesticide that EPA has determined can harm people or the environment unless handled by trained users, so it may be sold only to certified applicators or people working under their direct supervision.

A person who has passed the required New Hampshire exams and holds a current credential to buy, apply, or supervise the use of restricted-use pesticides in the categories shown on that credential.

A certified applicator who uses or supervises restricted-use pesticides on land they own, rent, or lease to produce an agricultural commodity, and who does not apply for hire.

A certified applicator who applies restricted-use pesticides for hire, or on property other than their own or their employer's agricultural production land, in the categories for which they are certified.

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the federal law that governs how pesticides are registered, labeled, distributed, sold, and used in the United States.

A registration a state issues for a pesticide use that is needed locally but is not allowed by the federal label; the special local need label is legal only within that state.

The maximum pesticide residue level that federal law allows on or in a food or feed commodity, set by EPA from safety data and enforced on crops that are sold for food.

Using a pesticide in a way that differs from its label directions, such as the wrong rate, site, timing, or target pest, which is a violation of federal and state law.

The period right after an application during which people may not enter the treated area except as the label allows, because residues and exposure risk are highest then.

Federal rules that protect farm workers and pesticide handlers by requiring safety training, warnings about applications, decontamination supplies, and limits on entering treated areas.

The dose of a pesticide that kills half of the test animals in a study, usually written in milligrams per kilogram of body weight; a lower value means greater acute toxicity.

The gloves, coveralls, boots, eyewear, apron, and respirator that a label requires, or that a handler wears, to reduce skin, eye, and inhalation exposure to pesticides.

An enzyme in blood and nerves that organophosphate and carbamate insecticides block; periodic testing can show overexposure before obvious poisoning symptoms appear.

Illness caused by overheating while wearing protective equipment in warm weather, prevented by drinking fluids, pacing work, using shade, and watching for dizziness, cramps, or confusion.

Downward movement of a pesticide through the soil with water toward groundwater, most likely in sandy soils with highly soluble products and heavy rain or irrigation.

Movement of pesticide across the soil surface with rain or irrigation water, which can carry the chemical into streams, ponds, ditches, or storm drains.

The time needed for half of a pesticide's active ingredient to break down in soil, water, or on plants; it shows how long the product stays active.

The buildup of a pesticide inside a living organism over time from repeated exposure, especially with chemicals that dissolve in fat and break down slowly.

Off-target movement of a pesticide through the air as droplets, dust, or vapor during or after application, which can injure plants and expose people and wildlife.

Pollution that enters water from one identifiable place, such as a spill while mixing, an overflowing spray tank, or rinse water dumped near a well.

A pest management approach that combines monitoring, cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods, and treats with pesticides only when scouting shows the pest is above threshold.

The pest population level at which control should begin, because the damage the pest is expected to cause would cost more than the treatment.

Regular inspection of a field, crop, or site to find pests, count them, and check for damage so that control decisions rest on current information.

Managing pests with their natural enemies, such as predators, parasites, and diseases, either by protecting the ones already present or by releasing them on purpose.

The inherited ability of a pest population to survive a pesticide rate that would normally kill it, developing when the same product or mode of action is used repeatedly.

The specific way a pesticide harms a pest, such as blocking a nerve signal or a particular enzyme; rotating among modes of action helps slow the development of resistance.

The word DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION printed on a label to show a product's relative acute toxicity, with DANGER marking the most hazardous products.

The number of days that must pass between the last pesticide application and harvest, as stated on the label, so that residues stay within the legal tolerance.

The substance in a pesticide product that actually controls the target pest; the label gives its name and the percentage of it contained in the product.

A product added to the spray tank to change how the mixture behaves, such as a surfactant that helps droplets spread out and stick to leaf surfaces.

Whether two or more products can be mixed in the spray tank without clumping, separating, or thickening in ways that clog nozzles or reduce pest control.

A liquid formulation of active ingredient, solvent, and emulsifier that forms a milky mixture when added to water; it is readily absorbed through skin and can injure sensitive plants.

A dry powder formulation that forms a suspension when mixed with water; it needs constant agitation because the particles settle out and can clog nozzles.

Measuring and adjusting a sprayer so it delivers the intended amount of spray evenly over the area treated, commonly expressed as gallons per acre.

The tip on a sprayer that turns liquid into droplets and shapes the spray pattern; its type, size, and wear control flow rate and coverage.

Stirring or recirculating the spray mixture in the tank so the product stays evenly mixed and does not settle out during the application job.

Applying pesticide only in a strip, such as over a crop row or along a fence line, instead of over the whole area, which reduces the amount of product needed.

The volume of spray mixture applied over one acre; it is calculated from nozzle flow rate, ground speed, and swath width and is the figure calibration sets.