Virginia Pesticide Exam | Complete Certification Exam Review & Practice Questions | 2026-2027
Private Applicator Certified applicator who uses or supervises the use of any restricted use pesticide
to produce an agricultural commodity
Renewal of Certification Commercial Applicator Certification Expires June 30th Second yr after issue. OPS will send a renewal
notice. Continuing education credits required.
Certified Commercial Applicator uses pesticide for any use other than as described for private applicator
Certified Registered Technician individual who performs services similar to commercial applicator. May use general
use pesticides on the job without supervision and may use RUPs only under direct
supervision. 20 hours job training and 20 hours manual study
Type of Applicators For Hire, Not for hire- only on property owned or leased by the applicator or by his
or her employer, Government Employees, Inactive
Responsibilities - Adherence to Pesticide Label
-Supervision of Registered Tech and Person in Training
-Recordkeeping
-Licensing
-Reporting Accidents
Adherence to Label Label is legal agreement between EPA, Manufacturer and User
Supervision of Registered Technicians and Uncertified - uncertified must have direct onsite supervision for any pesticide. Tech must have
Persons in Training onsite supervision for restricted use.
Recordkeeping - must keep records of all applications for minimum of 2 years.
Reporting Incidents Report all accidents that pose a threat to any person, public health, or the
environment via telephone within 48 hours to VDACS-OPS. Written report also
required within 10 days. Additional reports may need to be made depending on
severity.
Pesticide Business License -$50 annual and a separate license is needed for each location.
-$100,000 insurance property damage, $100,000 for personal injury and $300,00
per occurrence
- license expires March 31st each year
Pesticide Business Responsibilities -If RUP are sold or distributed a certified commercial applicator must be present at
each location during business hours
-Commercial Applicator must be employee of business applying or recommending
pesticide use.
-Sales of all RUP and all applications must be recorded for 2 years
-Comply with state regulations
Pests -Competes with humans or desirable plants for food or water
-Injures humans, animals, structures, desirable plants, or possessions
-Spreads disease
-Annoys humans
, Virginia Pesticide Exam | Complete Certification Exam Review & Practice Questions | 2026-2027
Pest Categories Key Pests
Occasional Pests
Secondary Pests
Key pests Nearly always present, cause major damage and require regular control
Occasional Pests Migratory or cyclical and require intermittent control
Secondary Pests Control only under certain circumstances required
Identification Required to address a situation including:
-Physical Features
-Characteristics of damage
-Development and Biology
-Key, Secondary, or Occasional
-Control Goal
Basic Pest Groups -Weeds
-Parasites and Diseases
-Mollusks
-Arthropods
-Vertebrates
Weeds -Hardy and Aggressive
-Large seed production efficiently spread
-Spreading by runners or underground stems
-Weed seeds can remain dormant for extended duration
-Can tolerate harsh conditions
-Can compete for soil moisture, light, and nutrients better than cultivated plants
Monocot -One leaf seed
-Parallel Leaf Veins
-Fibrous Routs
-Grasses and Lillies
-Crabgrass, Johnsongrass
Dicott (broadleaves -Two seed leafs
-Broad or narrow leaves with netlike veins
-Flower parts in multiples of 4 or 5
-Taproots penetrate deep into soil
-Some have wppdy stems
-Trees and Shrubs
-Poison ivy, dandelions
Annuals -Live 1 yr or less
-Germinate from seed, grow, flower, set seed and die within 12 months
-Summer annuals germinate in spring or summer and flower in later summer or
early fall
-Crabgrass, Russian thistle
-Winter annuals germinate in late summer, fall, or winter and flower in the spring
Biennials - 2 yr life cycle
- Germinate and grow foliage during first yr with the first yr growth often as wide low
growing cluster of leaves called rosette
-Second yr biennials flower, set seed and die
, Virginia Pesticide Exam | Complete Certification Exam Review & Practice Questions | 2026-2027
Perennials - Live more than 2 yrs and some live for many yrs
- Store food in underground parts and sue this energy to produce new growth early
in each growing season
-Harder to control
-Flower and set seeds repeatedly 1 or more times a year
-Have special structures for spreading
-Poison Ivy, Locust Trees
Pathogens causing most plant and animal diseases Fungi, Bacteria, Mycoplasms, Viruses
Parasites Tick, Lice, Fleas, Bedbugs, Mosquitoes, Nematodes, Mollusks. Plants have leaf
spots
Arthropods Insects Animals with segmented bodies and jointed APPENDAGES.
-external skeleton of light but strong material chitin
- Jointed legs for walking and other specialized appendages such as antennas,
pinchers, sucking tubes, etc.
Insects -Produce large offspring numbers
-Can be difficult to identify because body changes as they develop called
Metamorphosis
Gradual Metamorphosis -Insects Develop from egg to wingless nymphs then mature adults with no pupa
stage
-Nymphs look similar to adults as they feed and grow they molt(shed) multiple times
growing larger
-grasshopper, cockroaches
Complete Metamorphosis 4 Stages: Egg, Larva, Pupa, Adult
-Larvae look very different from adult
-Larvae are active feeders and often look like worms with antennas and legs
-Pupa often cocooned
-Adult form produces eggs for next generation
-Moths, butterfly, ant, wasp, fleas
Arachnids Wingless Arthropods with 4 pairs of legs on the rear body section and no antennas
-Two body parts: Cephalothora (head and thorax) and abdomen
-spiders, ticks, mites, scorpions
Vertebrates Animals with backbone including mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish
-Become pests when they damage property, agriculture, or are a threat to human
health and safety
-Indoor control focuses on eradication of rodent pests
-Outdoor control focuses on suppressing nuisance animals
Deciding when to use pest control 1. Control only when causing unacceptable harm or damage
2. Use a control strategy that will reduce numbers to an acceptable level
3. Cause as little harm as possible to everything else
Thresholds - Levels of pest populations that trigger action to prevent the pests in an area from
causing unacceptable injury or harm.
- Can be based on appearance, health, or economic concerns.
- Threshold levels can be zero, for homes or food processing to high.
Economic Thresholds - Threshold levels are often set at the level of economic losses caused by the pest
will surpass the cost to control the pest known as economic thresholds.
Private Applicator Certified applicator who uses or supervises the use of any restricted use pesticide
to produce an agricultural commodity
Renewal of Certification Commercial Applicator Certification Expires June 30th Second yr after issue. OPS will send a renewal
notice. Continuing education credits required.
Certified Commercial Applicator uses pesticide for any use other than as described for private applicator
Certified Registered Technician individual who performs services similar to commercial applicator. May use general
use pesticides on the job without supervision and may use RUPs only under direct
supervision. 20 hours job training and 20 hours manual study
Type of Applicators For Hire, Not for hire- only on property owned or leased by the applicator or by his
or her employer, Government Employees, Inactive
Responsibilities - Adherence to Pesticide Label
-Supervision of Registered Tech and Person in Training
-Recordkeeping
-Licensing
-Reporting Accidents
Adherence to Label Label is legal agreement between EPA, Manufacturer and User
Supervision of Registered Technicians and Uncertified - uncertified must have direct onsite supervision for any pesticide. Tech must have
Persons in Training onsite supervision for restricted use.
Recordkeeping - must keep records of all applications for minimum of 2 years.
Reporting Incidents Report all accidents that pose a threat to any person, public health, or the
environment via telephone within 48 hours to VDACS-OPS. Written report also
required within 10 days. Additional reports may need to be made depending on
severity.
Pesticide Business License -$50 annual and a separate license is needed for each location.
-$100,000 insurance property damage, $100,000 for personal injury and $300,00
per occurrence
- license expires March 31st each year
Pesticide Business Responsibilities -If RUP are sold or distributed a certified commercial applicator must be present at
each location during business hours
-Commercial Applicator must be employee of business applying or recommending
pesticide use.
-Sales of all RUP and all applications must be recorded for 2 years
-Comply with state regulations
Pests -Competes with humans or desirable plants for food or water
-Injures humans, animals, structures, desirable plants, or possessions
-Spreads disease
-Annoys humans
, Virginia Pesticide Exam | Complete Certification Exam Review & Practice Questions | 2026-2027
Pest Categories Key Pests
Occasional Pests
Secondary Pests
Key pests Nearly always present, cause major damage and require regular control
Occasional Pests Migratory or cyclical and require intermittent control
Secondary Pests Control only under certain circumstances required
Identification Required to address a situation including:
-Physical Features
-Characteristics of damage
-Development and Biology
-Key, Secondary, or Occasional
-Control Goal
Basic Pest Groups -Weeds
-Parasites and Diseases
-Mollusks
-Arthropods
-Vertebrates
Weeds -Hardy and Aggressive
-Large seed production efficiently spread
-Spreading by runners or underground stems
-Weed seeds can remain dormant for extended duration
-Can tolerate harsh conditions
-Can compete for soil moisture, light, and nutrients better than cultivated plants
Monocot -One leaf seed
-Parallel Leaf Veins
-Fibrous Routs
-Grasses and Lillies
-Crabgrass, Johnsongrass
Dicott (broadleaves -Two seed leafs
-Broad or narrow leaves with netlike veins
-Flower parts in multiples of 4 or 5
-Taproots penetrate deep into soil
-Some have wppdy stems
-Trees and Shrubs
-Poison ivy, dandelions
Annuals -Live 1 yr or less
-Germinate from seed, grow, flower, set seed and die within 12 months
-Summer annuals germinate in spring or summer and flower in later summer or
early fall
-Crabgrass, Russian thistle
-Winter annuals germinate in late summer, fall, or winter and flower in the spring
Biennials - 2 yr life cycle
- Germinate and grow foliage during first yr with the first yr growth often as wide low
growing cluster of leaves called rosette
-Second yr biennials flower, set seed and die
, Virginia Pesticide Exam | Complete Certification Exam Review & Practice Questions | 2026-2027
Perennials - Live more than 2 yrs and some live for many yrs
- Store food in underground parts and sue this energy to produce new growth early
in each growing season
-Harder to control
-Flower and set seeds repeatedly 1 or more times a year
-Have special structures for spreading
-Poison Ivy, Locust Trees
Pathogens causing most plant and animal diseases Fungi, Bacteria, Mycoplasms, Viruses
Parasites Tick, Lice, Fleas, Bedbugs, Mosquitoes, Nematodes, Mollusks. Plants have leaf
spots
Arthropods Insects Animals with segmented bodies and jointed APPENDAGES.
-external skeleton of light but strong material chitin
- Jointed legs for walking and other specialized appendages such as antennas,
pinchers, sucking tubes, etc.
Insects -Produce large offspring numbers
-Can be difficult to identify because body changes as they develop called
Metamorphosis
Gradual Metamorphosis -Insects Develop from egg to wingless nymphs then mature adults with no pupa
stage
-Nymphs look similar to adults as they feed and grow they molt(shed) multiple times
growing larger
-grasshopper, cockroaches
Complete Metamorphosis 4 Stages: Egg, Larva, Pupa, Adult
-Larvae look very different from adult
-Larvae are active feeders and often look like worms with antennas and legs
-Pupa often cocooned
-Adult form produces eggs for next generation
-Moths, butterfly, ant, wasp, fleas
Arachnids Wingless Arthropods with 4 pairs of legs on the rear body section and no antennas
-Two body parts: Cephalothora (head and thorax) and abdomen
-spiders, ticks, mites, scorpions
Vertebrates Animals with backbone including mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish
-Become pests when they damage property, agriculture, or are a threat to human
health and safety
-Indoor control focuses on eradication of rodent pests
-Outdoor control focuses on suppressing nuisance animals
Deciding when to use pest control 1. Control only when causing unacceptable harm or damage
2. Use a control strategy that will reduce numbers to an acceptable level
3. Cause as little harm as possible to everything else
Thresholds - Levels of pest populations that trigger action to prevent the pests in an area from
causing unacceptable injury or harm.
- Can be based on appearance, health, or economic concerns.
- Threshold levels can be zero, for homes or food processing to high.
Economic Thresholds - Threshold levels are often set at the level of economic losses caused by the pest
will surpass the cost to control the pest known as economic thresholds.
