pesticide applicators license EXAM 2026 COMPREHENSIVE EXAM
QUESTIONS ||RECENTLY TESTING REAL EXAM QUESTIONS|VERIFIED
SOLUTIONS (100% CORRECT)
What types of pesticide uses require the Ag Basic license - ANSWERS💫✔️--Use of general-use
pesticides to produce plants or plant products intended for human consumption as food, where the
person applying the pesticides or the employer of the person applying the pesticides derives $1,000 or
more in annual gross income from the sale of those commodities
-Food production applications include - Seed treatment through post harvest treatment or washing
with disinfectants prior to sale
What is a pesticide? - ANSWERS💫✔️-Any substance or mixture of substances intended for:
-preventing,
-destroying,
-repelling, or
-mitigating
any pest
OR
Any plant regulator, defoliant or desiccant.
-Does not include fertilizers or nutrients
-Does not include beneficial organisms
-Does not include traps or mechanical means
Disinfectants (peroxides & bleaches)
Herbicides &Growth Regulators
Rat & mouse baits
Fungicides
Insecticides
Botanicals
,Biological controls
Deer and rabbit repellents
Insect repellents
Plant incorporated protectants
-Bt corn has one or more Bacillus thuringiensis crystalline proteins engineered into it
What is a pest? - ANSWERS💫✔️--Bacteria, viruses (germs)
-Fungi, plant diseases
-Weeds
-Insects, mites, etc.
-Birds
-Deer, rodents, etc.
Using products not labeled as pesticides - ANSWERS💫✔️-Home chemistry is not recommended by the
BPC
-Many of the materials used seem "safe" because we eat them or use them on our skin
-Exposure routes may be different
- ie What we eat may not be safe to breathe
Use of products not labeled as pesticides
-Anyone applying products to commercial food crops that have not been properly evaluated runs the
risk of a food safety incident, illegal residues, and an embargoed crop
What products are NOT pesticides? - ANSWERS💫✔️--Insect parasitic nematodes
-Rodent or insect traps
=Beneficial insects or mites
Benefits of Pesticides - ANSWERS💫✔️-•Aesthetics
•Healthy saleable plants
, •Bountiful harvest
•Nuisance or public heath pest control
Concerns with Pesticide Dependence Past, Present and Future - ANSWERS💫✔️--Pest resistance
-Environmental persistence
-Bioaccumulation: when a chemical accumulates in animal tissues
-Biomagnification: when an organism accumulates residues at higher concentrations than the
organisms they consume
-Misuse
-Secondary pest outbreaks
-Non-target/Beneficial organism effects
Pest Resurgence
However, during the 1970's it became obvious that relying completely on pesticides for pest
management could have some negative impacts.
It was noticed that when certain pesticides were used repeatedly, some pests were no longer
controlled by the pesticide. The pests had developed resistance to the chemical. Since the 1970's, pest
resistance has surfaced in weed species, plant pathogens and insect pests. A prime example is the
Colorado potato beetle which has developed resistance to every major group of insecticides, making
the older chemical compounds nearly useless as pest management tools for Colorado potato beetle.
In her book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson discussed environmental concerns about the stability and
persistence of DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides.
DDT and its relative compounds were also found to be stored in fat cells of insects, fish, birds, rodents
and other animals. DDT didn't break down in fat cells. This is known as bioaccumulation.
Some organisms accumulate chemical residues in higher concentrations than those found in their food
source. This process is called biomagnification. For example, invertebrates with pesticides in their
tissues are eaten by fish, which are then eaten by birds. The birds at the top of the food chain
accumulate the highest concentration of pesticide residues. Pesticides that bioaccumulate and
biomagnify have been removed from the marketplace.
How is Risk Determined? - ANSWERS💫✔️-Animal Testing
Risk and exposure
LD 50 and LC 50
QUESTIONS ||RECENTLY TESTING REAL EXAM QUESTIONS|VERIFIED
SOLUTIONS (100% CORRECT)
What types of pesticide uses require the Ag Basic license - ANSWERS💫✔️--Use of general-use
pesticides to produce plants or plant products intended for human consumption as food, where the
person applying the pesticides or the employer of the person applying the pesticides derives $1,000 or
more in annual gross income from the sale of those commodities
-Food production applications include - Seed treatment through post harvest treatment or washing
with disinfectants prior to sale
What is a pesticide? - ANSWERS💫✔️-Any substance or mixture of substances intended for:
-preventing,
-destroying,
-repelling, or
-mitigating
any pest
OR
Any plant regulator, defoliant or desiccant.
-Does not include fertilizers or nutrients
-Does not include beneficial organisms
-Does not include traps or mechanical means
Disinfectants (peroxides & bleaches)
Herbicides &Growth Regulators
Rat & mouse baits
Fungicides
Insecticides
Botanicals
,Biological controls
Deer and rabbit repellents
Insect repellents
Plant incorporated protectants
-Bt corn has one or more Bacillus thuringiensis crystalline proteins engineered into it
What is a pest? - ANSWERS💫✔️--Bacteria, viruses (germs)
-Fungi, plant diseases
-Weeds
-Insects, mites, etc.
-Birds
-Deer, rodents, etc.
Using products not labeled as pesticides - ANSWERS💫✔️-Home chemistry is not recommended by the
BPC
-Many of the materials used seem "safe" because we eat them or use them on our skin
-Exposure routes may be different
- ie What we eat may not be safe to breathe
Use of products not labeled as pesticides
-Anyone applying products to commercial food crops that have not been properly evaluated runs the
risk of a food safety incident, illegal residues, and an embargoed crop
What products are NOT pesticides? - ANSWERS💫✔️--Insect parasitic nematodes
-Rodent or insect traps
=Beneficial insects or mites
Benefits of Pesticides - ANSWERS💫✔️-•Aesthetics
•Healthy saleable plants
, •Bountiful harvest
•Nuisance or public heath pest control
Concerns with Pesticide Dependence Past, Present and Future - ANSWERS💫✔️--Pest resistance
-Environmental persistence
-Bioaccumulation: when a chemical accumulates in animal tissues
-Biomagnification: when an organism accumulates residues at higher concentrations than the
organisms they consume
-Misuse
-Secondary pest outbreaks
-Non-target/Beneficial organism effects
Pest Resurgence
However, during the 1970's it became obvious that relying completely on pesticides for pest
management could have some negative impacts.
It was noticed that when certain pesticides were used repeatedly, some pests were no longer
controlled by the pesticide. The pests had developed resistance to the chemical. Since the 1970's, pest
resistance has surfaced in weed species, plant pathogens and insect pests. A prime example is the
Colorado potato beetle which has developed resistance to every major group of insecticides, making
the older chemical compounds nearly useless as pest management tools for Colorado potato beetle.
In her book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson discussed environmental concerns about the stability and
persistence of DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides.
DDT and its relative compounds were also found to be stored in fat cells of insects, fish, birds, rodents
and other animals. DDT didn't break down in fat cells. This is known as bioaccumulation.
Some organisms accumulate chemical residues in higher concentrations than those found in their food
source. This process is called biomagnification. For example, invertebrates with pesticides in their
tissues are eaten by fish, which are then eaten by birds. The birds at the top of the food chain
accumulate the highest concentration of pesticide residues. Pesticides that bioaccumulate and
biomagnify have been removed from the marketplace.
How is Risk Determined? - ANSWERS💫✔️-Animal Testing
Risk and exposure
LD 50 and LC 50
