Illinois Pesticide applicator exam
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
What is a pesticide - ✔✔a substance used for destroying insects or other organisms
harmful to cultivated plants or to animals.
Pesticides are made up of - ✔✔Active and inert ingredients
AI - ✔✔Active ingredient - chemical effective against pest
Inert ingredients - ✔✔don't harm pest but make the AI more effective
Herbicide formulation - ✔✔may be ready to use or may require dilution with carrier
(oil or liquid)
60WDG - ✔✔60% AI water-dispersible granule
4EC - ✔✔4 lbs ai per gallon of emulsifiable concentrate
SP - ✔✔Soluable powder - dry formulation. Mixed with water. Dissolve readily and
form true solution.
WP, P - ✔✔Wettable Powder - dry formulation. Finely ground powder. Forms
suspension not true solution.
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 1
,Abrasive, requires agitation, inhalation risk
DF, WDG - ✔✔Dry flowables or water dispersible granules - dry formulation. Similar to
WP except AI is in granule instead of powder
form suspension. Less dust than WP
G - ✔✔Granules - dry formulation. AI coated with clay, newspaper
Applied directly, no mixing
Low hazzard to applicators
P, PS - ✔✔Pellets - dry formulation. Same as granules but larger
D - ✔✔Dusts - dry formulations.
Low percentage of AI on very fine carrier (talk, chalk, clay)
Most ready to use (no mixing)
Inhilation hazard
Drift hazzard (uncommon use)
EC - ✔✔Emulsifiable concentrate - wet formulation.
AI mixed with 1+ solvents and emulsifier that allows mixing with water
Easily absorbed through skin (dermal hazzard)
ME - ✔✔Microencapsulated - wet formulation
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 2
,AI is surrounded by plastic coating suspended in liquid
Time- release product
Bees catty it back to hive and can poison colony
S - ✔✔Solutions - wet formulation
Form true solution when mixed
Will not settle or separate
ULV - ✔✔Ultra-low volume concentration - wet formulation
Have high % ai with a solvent (usually oil)
Low application rate per acre
Fumigants - ✔✔Produce gas, vapor, fumes, etc.
Special licencing required
Highly toxic
Restricted use pesticides - ✔✔Only purchased by certified applicators or persons under
their supervision
Records of applications must be maintained for 2 years
Adjuvant - ✔✔Chemical modifies physical properties, enhances performance or both of
pesticides
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 3
, Includes spray modifiers
Activatior adjuvants - ✔✔Water spreader (surfactants), Sticker (oils, laytex),
humectant,penetrator
utility adjuvants - ✔✔defoamer, water conditioner (acids)
Drift reduction additives - ✔✔thickening agents increase droplet size
Droplets must be over 200 microns
Sticker - ✔✔increase adherence of chemical to surface
Surfactant, Spreaders - ✔✔Spread spray mix more thoroughly
Decreases surface tension of water
Penetrants - ✔✔helps pass through outer surface of plants - through waxy coating on
leaves (cuticle)
Defoaming agents - ✔✔eliminate foam from spray tanks (especially during agitation)
Mixing of pesticides - ✔✔ensure that pesticides retain properties when you mix
Do not change toxicity or physical properties when combined
Illegal to mix pesticides with products prohibited on label
Chemical incompatibility - ✔✔antagonism: decrease effectiveness
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 4
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
What is a pesticide - ✔✔a substance used for destroying insects or other organisms
harmful to cultivated plants or to animals.
Pesticides are made up of - ✔✔Active and inert ingredients
AI - ✔✔Active ingredient - chemical effective against pest
Inert ingredients - ✔✔don't harm pest but make the AI more effective
Herbicide formulation - ✔✔may be ready to use or may require dilution with carrier
(oil or liquid)
60WDG - ✔✔60% AI water-dispersible granule
4EC - ✔✔4 lbs ai per gallon of emulsifiable concentrate
SP - ✔✔Soluable powder - dry formulation. Mixed with water. Dissolve readily and
form true solution.
WP, P - ✔✔Wettable Powder - dry formulation. Finely ground powder. Forms
suspension not true solution.
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 1
,Abrasive, requires agitation, inhalation risk
DF, WDG - ✔✔Dry flowables or water dispersible granules - dry formulation. Similar to
WP except AI is in granule instead of powder
form suspension. Less dust than WP
G - ✔✔Granules - dry formulation. AI coated with clay, newspaper
Applied directly, no mixing
Low hazzard to applicators
P, PS - ✔✔Pellets - dry formulation. Same as granules but larger
D - ✔✔Dusts - dry formulations.
Low percentage of AI on very fine carrier (talk, chalk, clay)
Most ready to use (no mixing)
Inhilation hazard
Drift hazzard (uncommon use)
EC - ✔✔Emulsifiable concentrate - wet formulation.
AI mixed with 1+ solvents and emulsifier that allows mixing with water
Easily absorbed through skin (dermal hazzard)
ME - ✔✔Microencapsulated - wet formulation
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 2
,AI is surrounded by plastic coating suspended in liquid
Time- release product
Bees catty it back to hive and can poison colony
S - ✔✔Solutions - wet formulation
Form true solution when mixed
Will not settle or separate
ULV - ✔✔Ultra-low volume concentration - wet formulation
Have high % ai with a solvent (usually oil)
Low application rate per acre
Fumigants - ✔✔Produce gas, vapor, fumes, etc.
Special licencing required
Highly toxic
Restricted use pesticides - ✔✔Only purchased by certified applicators or persons under
their supervision
Records of applications must be maintained for 2 years
Adjuvant - ✔✔Chemical modifies physical properties, enhances performance or both of
pesticides
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 3
, Includes spray modifiers
Activatior adjuvants - ✔✔Water spreader (surfactants), Sticker (oils, laytex),
humectant,penetrator
utility adjuvants - ✔✔defoamer, water conditioner (acids)
Drift reduction additives - ✔✔thickening agents increase droplet size
Droplets must be over 200 microns
Sticker - ✔✔increase adherence of chemical to surface
Surfactant, Spreaders - ✔✔Spread spray mix more thoroughly
Decreases surface tension of water
Penetrants - ✔✔helps pass through outer surface of plants - through waxy coating on
leaves (cuticle)
Defoaming agents - ✔✔eliminate foam from spray tanks (especially during agitation)
Mixing of pesticides - ✔✔ensure that pesticides retain properties when you mix
Do not change toxicity or physical properties when combined
Illegal to mix pesticides with products prohibited on label
Chemical incompatibility - ✔✔antagonism: decrease effectiveness
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 4
