NY Pesticide Applicator key terms

A person who has passed the required New York State exams and holds a current certification from the Department of Environmental Conservation to use, or supervise the use of, restricted-use pesticides.

A certified applicator who uses or supervises restricted-use pesticides on land they own or rent, or on an employer's land, to produce an agricultural commodity, and is not paid to apply pesticides for others.

A certified applicator who applies pesticides for hire, or as part of job duties, on property owned or controlled by someone other than the applicator or their own agricultural employer.

A pesticide that EPA classifies as available only to certified applicators, or to people working under their direct supervision, because it can harm people or the environment even when used as directed.

The label attached to a pesticide container plus all other written, printed, or graphic material that accompanies the product or is referenced on the label, such as supplemental leaflets and worker protection information.

A single word, DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION, required on the front of a pesticide label to show the product's relative acute toxicity and alert users to the level of hazard.

The dose of a pesticide that kills half of the test animals in a study under stated conditions; a smaller value means the product has greater acute toxicity.

The period after a pesticide application during which people generally may not enter the treated area, set on the label to protect workers from exposure.

The movement of a pesticide away from the target site through the air, either as fine spray droplets or as vapor, during or soon after an application.

The downward movement of a pesticide through the soil with water, which can carry chemicals below the root zone and into groundwater.

The inherited ability of a pest population to survive a pesticide dose that would normally control other individuals of the same species, often developing after repeated use of one product.

A decision-making approach that combines pest identification, monitoring, sanitation, biological and cultural controls, and pesticides used only when economic or health thresholds are reached.

Clothing and gear such as gloves, coveralls, boots, eyewear, and respirators worn to reduce skin, eye, and inhalation exposure to pesticides during handling and application.

The specific way a pesticide interferes with a pest's biology, such as blocking a nerve signal or stopping cell division; rotating among modes of action helps delay resistance.

A container cleaning method in which the empty pesticide container is filled about one-quarter full with water, shaken, and drained into the spray tank, repeated three times.

The minimum number of days that must pass between the last pesticide application and harvesting the crop, as stated on the product label.

The pest population level at which the value of crop damage expected is greater than the cost of control, so a treatment is justified.

Applying pesticides through an irrigation system, which requires label approval and equipment such as backflow prevention to keep chemicals out of the water supply.

Applying a fungicide, insecticide, or nematicide to seed before planting to protect the germinating seed and young seedling from soilborne pests and disease.

A forest application in which herbicide mixed with oil is sprayed onto the lower 12 to 18 inches of a woody stem's bark to kill the tree or shrub.

Applying herbicide to the freshly cut surface of a stump so the cut tree or shrub cannot resprout.

Injury to a desirable plant caused by a pesticide, showing up as leaf burn, yellowing, distortion, or stunted growth.

Applying pesticide to small, individual areas or individual plants instead of treating an entire lawn, bed, or landscape area.

A pesticide registered for controlling plants, algae, or pest animals in water, or in sites that drain into water such as ponds, lakes, and ditches.

A strip of untreated land between a pesticide application site and a sensitive area such as water, a well, or a building, required by the label or state rules.

Applying a soil-residual herbicide along a right-of-way to keep vegetation from growing on the treated strip, such as around guardrails, pavement edges, and utility poles.

A pesticide that forms a gas and kills pests in enclosed spaces such as buildings, soil, or stored products; it requires special equipment and respiratory protection.

A pesticide applied to soil, wood, or foundation areas to prevent or control termite infestation in a structure.

Placing small amounts of pesticide into narrow gaps, cracks, and voids where pests hide, rather than spraying broad exposed surfaces.

The maximum pesticide residue level legally allowed in or on a food or feed commodity, set by EPA and enforced at harvest and in processed food.

A state registration under FIFRA Section 24(c) that allows an additional use of an already registered pesticide within that state when a special local need exists.

A FIFRA Section 18 authorization that lets a state use an unregistered pesticide, or an unregistered use, for a limited time to control an emergency pest outbreak.

The requirement that certified applicators keep written records of restricted-use pesticide applications and make them available to regulators on request.

The Department of Environmental Conservation review and approval a pesticide product must obtain before it can be sold or used in New York, in addition to federal registration.

An EPA permit that allows a pesticide to be tested on limited acreage or in limited quantities before registration, typically for research or demonstration purposes.

Applying pesticides from an aircraft, which requires certification in the aerial category, careful drift management, and coordination with nearby sensitive sites.