Iowa Pesticide Applicator – Short UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORECT
Answers
Intro: Types of pesticide applicators in Iowa - CORRECT ANSWER - Commercial appl;
Public appl; Noncommercial appl: owned, rented, or leased by applicator's employer; Private
appl; Certified handler;
Intro: Describe certification & recertification - CORRECT ANSWER - Certification:
Employed by a licensed company; exam; fee; 21 days; Recertification: yearly CIC (Continuing
Instructional Courses) presentations or test every 3 years
C1: Recognize what agency regulates pesticide use in the U.S. - CORRECT ANSWER -
EPA
C1: FIFRA - CORRECT ANSWER - Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
C1: Understand penalties for violations of FIFRA - CORRECT ANSWER - Civil as much
as $6500; criminal as much as $25000 or one yr prison, or both
C1: FFDCA - CORRECT ANSWER - Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
C1: FQPA - CORRECT ANSWER - Food Quality Protection Act
C1: Define "residue" & "tolerance" - CORRECT ANSWER - Residue: pesticide remaining
on food in small amounts; Tolerance: the EPA sets allowable residue levels
C1: Who is protected by the WPS? - CORRECT ANSWER - Worker Protection Safety
Act; protects employees (ag workers & handlers)
,C1: Explain how the ESA relates to pesticides - CORRECT ANSWER - Endangered
Species Act,
C1: Summarize RCRA - CORRECT ANSWER - Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act, control hazardous waste from "cradle to grave"
C2: List the requirements of pesticide applicator records - CORRECT ANSWER - Name
& certification # of applicator; Name & address of landowner;
Address of application; Date of application; Trade name of pesticide; Quantity of product & Rate
of application; Temp, Direction & Velocity of wind; use of "Restricted Use" Pesticides; Time
application begins & ends
C2: Describe Sensitive Crops Directory - CORRECT ANSWER - Vineyards, orchards,
certified organic crops, and fruit & vegetable crops, apiaries
C2: Iowa Bee Rule - CORRECT ANSWER - Register location, don't spray between 8 am
& 6 pm within one mile of blooming crops, commercial applicator responsible
C2: List the notification requirements for urban pesticide applications - CORRECT
ANSWER - Post signs; display for 24 hrs; not necessary inside or close to building, or for
owner or tenant
C2: Summarize Iowa atrazine management rules - CORRECT ANSWER - Atrazine: 2.5
pounds (active ingredient) or less per acre per year; 1.5 pounds (active ingredient) acre year in 23
counties; may not be mixed, loaded, or repackaged within 100 ft or applied within 50 ft
sinkholes, ponds, wells, etc; mixing, loading, & equipment cleanout must meet 2ndary
containment requirements or be done in field of app
C2: Recognize the requirements of on-site containment of pesticides - CORRECT
ANSWER - Within a watertight secondary containment facility; if more than 30 days &
mix more than 300 gal and/or 300 pounds then a permanent; asphalt, sloped engineer
, C2: Describe the penalties for violations of the Pesticide Act of Iowa - CORRECT
ANSWER - Violate any provision, max civil penalty must not exceed $500 per violation
C3: Describe what constitutes a pest - CORRECT ANSWER - A pest is any living species
whose activities cause economic losses to your possessions, directly threaten your health, or are
annoying.
C3: Define "integrated pest management" & list the five major components of IPM - CORRECT
ANSWER - IPM is an approach to controlling a specific pest in a specific setting that
makes use of current pest info, regular monitoring, & recordkeeping to determine if & when
action against the pest is needed; five major components of IPM: 1) identify the pest &
understand its biology 2) set up a monitoring program; 3) know the available control strategies;
4) implement an IPM program; and 5) record & evaluate results
C3: Describe the concepts of economic & action threshold levels - CORRECT ANSWER -
Economic threshold: is the pest population density (number of pests per unit of area) at which
control measures are needed to prevent the pest from reaching the economic injury level;
Economic Injury Level: is the pest population density that causes losses equal to the cost of
control measures.
C3: List several possible control tactics that may be used in an IPM strategy - CORRECT
ANSWER - 1) Biological Control; 2) Mechanical Control; 3) Cultural Control;
4) Physical Control; 5) Genetic Control; 6) Regulatory Control; & 7) Chemical Control
C3: Discuss how pesticides can come in contact & move within target pests - CORRECT
ANSWER - Non-selective; Selective: Systemic (translocated), Contact
C3: Recognize the steps to take to minimize the development of pesticide resistance -
CORRECT ANSWER - Use products with different modes of action (group number);
Change pesticide use patterns (apply over a smaller area);
Pest populations should be monitored carefully & treated only when threshold levels are met
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORECT
Answers
Intro: Types of pesticide applicators in Iowa - CORRECT ANSWER - Commercial appl;
Public appl; Noncommercial appl: owned, rented, or leased by applicator's employer; Private
appl; Certified handler;
Intro: Describe certification & recertification - CORRECT ANSWER - Certification:
Employed by a licensed company; exam; fee; 21 days; Recertification: yearly CIC (Continuing
Instructional Courses) presentations or test every 3 years
C1: Recognize what agency regulates pesticide use in the U.S. - CORRECT ANSWER -
EPA
C1: FIFRA - CORRECT ANSWER - Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
C1: Understand penalties for violations of FIFRA - CORRECT ANSWER - Civil as much
as $6500; criminal as much as $25000 or one yr prison, or both
C1: FFDCA - CORRECT ANSWER - Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
C1: FQPA - CORRECT ANSWER - Food Quality Protection Act
C1: Define "residue" & "tolerance" - CORRECT ANSWER - Residue: pesticide remaining
on food in small amounts; Tolerance: the EPA sets allowable residue levels
C1: Who is protected by the WPS? - CORRECT ANSWER - Worker Protection Safety
Act; protects employees (ag workers & handlers)
,C1: Explain how the ESA relates to pesticides - CORRECT ANSWER - Endangered
Species Act,
C1: Summarize RCRA - CORRECT ANSWER - Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act, control hazardous waste from "cradle to grave"
C2: List the requirements of pesticide applicator records - CORRECT ANSWER - Name
& certification # of applicator; Name & address of landowner;
Address of application; Date of application; Trade name of pesticide; Quantity of product & Rate
of application; Temp, Direction & Velocity of wind; use of "Restricted Use" Pesticides; Time
application begins & ends
C2: Describe Sensitive Crops Directory - CORRECT ANSWER - Vineyards, orchards,
certified organic crops, and fruit & vegetable crops, apiaries
C2: Iowa Bee Rule - CORRECT ANSWER - Register location, don't spray between 8 am
& 6 pm within one mile of blooming crops, commercial applicator responsible
C2: List the notification requirements for urban pesticide applications - CORRECT
ANSWER - Post signs; display for 24 hrs; not necessary inside or close to building, or for
owner or tenant
C2: Summarize Iowa atrazine management rules - CORRECT ANSWER - Atrazine: 2.5
pounds (active ingredient) or less per acre per year; 1.5 pounds (active ingredient) acre year in 23
counties; may not be mixed, loaded, or repackaged within 100 ft or applied within 50 ft
sinkholes, ponds, wells, etc; mixing, loading, & equipment cleanout must meet 2ndary
containment requirements or be done in field of app
C2: Recognize the requirements of on-site containment of pesticides - CORRECT
ANSWER - Within a watertight secondary containment facility; if more than 30 days &
mix more than 300 gal and/or 300 pounds then a permanent; asphalt, sloped engineer
, C2: Describe the penalties for violations of the Pesticide Act of Iowa - CORRECT
ANSWER - Violate any provision, max civil penalty must not exceed $500 per violation
C3: Describe what constitutes a pest - CORRECT ANSWER - A pest is any living species
whose activities cause economic losses to your possessions, directly threaten your health, or are
annoying.
C3: Define "integrated pest management" & list the five major components of IPM - CORRECT
ANSWER - IPM is an approach to controlling a specific pest in a specific setting that
makes use of current pest info, regular monitoring, & recordkeeping to determine if & when
action against the pest is needed; five major components of IPM: 1) identify the pest &
understand its biology 2) set up a monitoring program; 3) know the available control strategies;
4) implement an IPM program; and 5) record & evaluate results
C3: Describe the concepts of economic & action threshold levels - CORRECT ANSWER -
Economic threshold: is the pest population density (number of pests per unit of area) at which
control measures are needed to prevent the pest from reaching the economic injury level;
Economic Injury Level: is the pest population density that causes losses equal to the cost of
control measures.
C3: List several possible control tactics that may be used in an IPM strategy - CORRECT
ANSWER - 1) Biological Control; 2) Mechanical Control; 3) Cultural Control;
4) Physical Control; 5) Genetic Control; 6) Regulatory Control; & 7) Chemical Control
C3: Discuss how pesticides can come in contact & move within target pests - CORRECT
ANSWER - Non-selective; Selective: Systemic (translocated), Contact
C3: Recognize the steps to take to minimize the development of pesticide resistance -
CORRECT ANSWER - Use products with different modes of action (group number);
Change pesticide use patterns (apply over a smaller area);
Pest populations should be monitored carefully & treated only when threshold levels are met
