WASHINGTON PESTICIDE LAWS AND SAFETY STUDY
GUIDE 2025/2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔What are desiccants? - ✔✔chemicals that promote drying or loss of moisture in plant
tissues
✔✔What are adjuvants? - ✔✔substances added to pesticides for mutations and tank
mixtures to increase safety and effectiveness
✔✔What are systemic pesticides? - ✔✔foliar or root absorbed and then translocated
within the treated plant
✔✔What are contact pesticides? - ✔✔the pest must contact a treated area to be
affected
✔✔What is the EPA? - ✔✔Environmental Protection Agency
✔✔What is the WSDA? - ✔✔Washington State Department of Agriculture
✔✔What is FIFRA? - ✔✔Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
✔✔The only purpose of federal and state pesticide laws is to protect the environment
from hazardous pollutants. (T/F) - ✔✔False
✔✔What is an SDS? - ✔✔Safety Data Sheet
✔✔The EPA has the authority to stop the sale or use of any pesticide. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔A dealer-manager must be present in a store or outlet when a commercial pesticide
is sold or distributed. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔Restricted use pesticides can be used by any person, at any time, as long as they
are purchased by a certified applicator. (T/F) - ✔✔False
✔✔All pesticide products containing the same active ingredient are classified the same,
either general use or restricted use, regardless of the formulation. (T/F) - ✔✔False
✔✔The WSDA administers the pesticide licensing program in Washington. (T/F) -
✔✔True
✔✔Every pesticide distributed in Washington must first be registered with the WSDA.
(T/F) - ✔✔True
,✔✔SLN registration allows WSDA to register additional application sites to a federal
label. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔If a licensed commercial applicator in Washington chooses to recertify by course
credit, how many recertification credits do they need?
- 10 credits in 5 years
- 20 credits in 5 years
- 40 credits in 5 years - ✔✔40 credits in 5 years
✔✔If an applicator had two major label violations and was cited by WSDA, they could
face a maximum fine of $15,000 and lose their license. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔EPA and WSDA are the only federal or state agencies that regulate pesticides. (T/F)
- ✔✔False
✔✔An applicator can avoid harming the environment, misapplying pesticides, and
violating the law by reading and following label directions. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔What is an active ingredient? - ✔✔The component of a pesticide that controls the
target pest
✔✔Liquid pesticides products are usually one of these three categories? - ✔✔A
solution, a suspension, or an emulsion
✔✔What is a chemical solution? - ✔✔A mixture that cannot be separated by dissolving
a substance into a liquid
✔✔What is a chemical suspension? - ✔✔A suspension is formed by dispersing solid
particles into a liquid. These solid particles do not dissolve in a liquid without agitation.
✔✔What is a chemical emulsion? - ✔✔a mixture made my suspending droplets of one
liquid into another. Active ingredients are dissolved in an oil based solvent and then
further diluted with water.
✔✔What is an emulsifiable concentrate? - ✔✔a liquid formulation with the active
ingredient dissolved in one or more petroleum solvents
✔✔What is a soluble powder (SP) ? - ✔✔dry and powered. formulation. containing 25 -
80 percent active ingredient that dissolves in water forming a solution
, ✔✔What is a wettable powder (WP) ? - ✔✔a finely ground formulation that requires
constant agitation when mixed with water, doesn't dissolve
✔✔What is a flowable (F) ? - ✔✔finely ground solid particles combined with an active
ingredient and suspended in a liquid carrier
✔✔What is an invert emulsion? - ✔✔water soluble pesticides dispersed in oil carriers
✔✔What is a water-dispersible granule (WDG) ? - ✔✔active ingredient is a dustless
granular form that requires constant agitation
✔✔What is a dust formulation? - ✔✔contains a low percentage of active ingredient plus
a finely ground inert substance such as clay or talc
✔✔What are granules/pellets? - ✔✔they're ready to use materials containing 2 to 15
percent active ingredients, added as a liquid to coarse material such as clay or ground
corn cobs
✔✔What is a bait? - ✔✔Particulates that are an active ingredient mixed with attractants
or edible substances
✔✔What are pastes, gels, and other injectable baits? - ✔✔primarily used as pest control
for ants and cockroaches
✔✔What are aerosols? - ✔✔contain an active ingredient in a solution such as
petroleum distillate, example: bug bombs
✔✔What are pesticide-fertilizer combinations? - ✔✔usually granule or pellet
formulations. apply applicator and nutrients at the same time
✔✔What are fumigants? - ✔✔pesticides that are active as gases
✔✔What are incompatible chemicals? - ✔✔cannot be effectively mixed together in a
sprayable form
✔✔What is a spray adjuvant? - ✔✔any product intended to be used with a pesticide as
an aid to the application in a container separate from the pesticide
✔✔What is a surfactant? - ✔✔surface active agent that alters the dispersing, spreading,
and wetting properties of spray droplets
✔✔The component of a pesticide formulation that controls the pest is the __________
ingredient. - ✔✔Active
GUIDE 2025/2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔What are desiccants? - ✔✔chemicals that promote drying or loss of moisture in plant
tissues
✔✔What are adjuvants? - ✔✔substances added to pesticides for mutations and tank
mixtures to increase safety and effectiveness
✔✔What are systemic pesticides? - ✔✔foliar or root absorbed and then translocated
within the treated plant
✔✔What are contact pesticides? - ✔✔the pest must contact a treated area to be
affected
✔✔What is the EPA? - ✔✔Environmental Protection Agency
✔✔What is the WSDA? - ✔✔Washington State Department of Agriculture
✔✔What is FIFRA? - ✔✔Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
✔✔The only purpose of federal and state pesticide laws is to protect the environment
from hazardous pollutants. (T/F) - ✔✔False
✔✔What is an SDS? - ✔✔Safety Data Sheet
✔✔The EPA has the authority to stop the sale or use of any pesticide. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔A dealer-manager must be present in a store or outlet when a commercial pesticide
is sold or distributed. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔Restricted use pesticides can be used by any person, at any time, as long as they
are purchased by a certified applicator. (T/F) - ✔✔False
✔✔All pesticide products containing the same active ingredient are classified the same,
either general use or restricted use, regardless of the formulation. (T/F) - ✔✔False
✔✔The WSDA administers the pesticide licensing program in Washington. (T/F) -
✔✔True
✔✔Every pesticide distributed in Washington must first be registered with the WSDA.
(T/F) - ✔✔True
,✔✔SLN registration allows WSDA to register additional application sites to a federal
label. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔If a licensed commercial applicator in Washington chooses to recertify by course
credit, how many recertification credits do they need?
- 10 credits in 5 years
- 20 credits in 5 years
- 40 credits in 5 years - ✔✔40 credits in 5 years
✔✔If an applicator had two major label violations and was cited by WSDA, they could
face a maximum fine of $15,000 and lose their license. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔EPA and WSDA are the only federal or state agencies that regulate pesticides. (T/F)
- ✔✔False
✔✔An applicator can avoid harming the environment, misapplying pesticides, and
violating the law by reading and following label directions. (T/F) - ✔✔True
✔✔What is an active ingredient? - ✔✔The component of a pesticide that controls the
target pest
✔✔Liquid pesticides products are usually one of these three categories? - ✔✔A
solution, a suspension, or an emulsion
✔✔What is a chemical solution? - ✔✔A mixture that cannot be separated by dissolving
a substance into a liquid
✔✔What is a chemical suspension? - ✔✔A suspension is formed by dispersing solid
particles into a liquid. These solid particles do not dissolve in a liquid without agitation.
✔✔What is a chemical emulsion? - ✔✔a mixture made my suspending droplets of one
liquid into another. Active ingredients are dissolved in an oil based solvent and then
further diluted with water.
✔✔What is an emulsifiable concentrate? - ✔✔a liquid formulation with the active
ingredient dissolved in one or more petroleum solvents
✔✔What is a soluble powder (SP) ? - ✔✔dry and powered. formulation. containing 25 -
80 percent active ingredient that dissolves in water forming a solution
, ✔✔What is a wettable powder (WP) ? - ✔✔a finely ground formulation that requires
constant agitation when mixed with water, doesn't dissolve
✔✔What is a flowable (F) ? - ✔✔finely ground solid particles combined with an active
ingredient and suspended in a liquid carrier
✔✔What is an invert emulsion? - ✔✔water soluble pesticides dispersed in oil carriers
✔✔What is a water-dispersible granule (WDG) ? - ✔✔active ingredient is a dustless
granular form that requires constant agitation
✔✔What is a dust formulation? - ✔✔contains a low percentage of active ingredient plus
a finely ground inert substance such as clay or talc
✔✔What are granules/pellets? - ✔✔they're ready to use materials containing 2 to 15
percent active ingredients, added as a liquid to coarse material such as clay or ground
corn cobs
✔✔What is a bait? - ✔✔Particulates that are an active ingredient mixed with attractants
or edible substances
✔✔What are pastes, gels, and other injectable baits? - ✔✔primarily used as pest control
for ants and cockroaches
✔✔What are aerosols? - ✔✔contain an active ingredient in a solution such as
petroleum distillate, example: bug bombs
✔✔What are pesticide-fertilizer combinations? - ✔✔usually granule or pellet
formulations. apply applicator and nutrients at the same time
✔✔What are fumigants? - ✔✔pesticides that are active as gases
✔✔What are incompatible chemicals? - ✔✔cannot be effectively mixed together in a
sprayable form
✔✔What is a spray adjuvant? - ✔✔any product intended to be used with a pesticide as
an aid to the application in a container separate from the pesticide
✔✔What is a surfactant? - ✔✔surface active agent that alters the dispersing, spreading,
and wetting properties of spray droplets
✔✔The component of a pesticide formulation that controls the pest is the __________
ingredient. - ✔✔Active
