ILLINOIS PESTICIDE APPLICATOR EXAM
What is a pesticide - Answers - a substance used for destroying insects or other
organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals.
Pesticides are made up of - Answers - Active and inert ingredients
AI - Answers - Active ingredient - chemical effective against pest
Inert ingredients - Answers - don't harm pest but make the AI more effective
Herbicide formulation - Answers - may be ready to use or may require dilution with
carrier (oil or liquid)
60WDG - Answers - 60% AI water-dispersible granule
4EC - Answers - 4 lbs ai per gallon of emulsifiable concentrate
SP - Answers - Soluable powder - dry formulation. Mixed with water. Dissolve readily
and form true solution.
WP, P - Answers - Wettable Powder - dry formulation. Finely ground powder. Forms
suspension not true solution.
Abrasive, requires agitation, inhalation risk
DF, WDG - Answers - 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 - Answers - Granules - dry formulation. AI coated with clay, newspaper
Applied directly, no mixing
Low hazzard to applicators
P, PS - Answers - Pellets - dry formulation. Same as granules but larger
D - Answers - 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 - Answers - Emulsifiable concentrate - wet formulation.
AI mixed with 1+ solvents and emulsifier that allows mixing with water
Easily absorbed through skin (dermal hazzard)
ME - Answers - Microencapsulated - wet formulation
,AI is surrounded by plastic coating suspended in liquid
Time- release product
Bees catty it back to hive and can poison colony
S - Answers - Solutions - wet formulation
Form true solution when mixed
Will not settle or separate
ULV - Answers - Ultra-low volume concentration - wet formulation
Have high % ai with a solvent (usually oil)
Low application rate per acre
Fumigants - Answers - Produce gas, vapor, fumes, etc.
Special licencing required
Highly toxic
Restricted use pesticides - Answers - Only purchased by certified applicators or persons
under their supervision
Records of applications must be maintained for 2 years
Adjuvant - Answers - Chemical modifies physical properties, enhances performance or
both of pesticides
Includes spray modifiers
Activatior adjuvants - Answers - Water spreader (surfactants), Sticker (oils, laytex),
humectant,penetrator
utility adjuvants - Answers - defoamer, water conditioner (acids)
Drift reduction additives - Answers - thickening agents increase droplet size
Droplets must be over 200 microns
Sticker - Answers - increase adherence of chemical to surface
Surfactant, Spreaders - Answers - Spread spray mix more thoroughly
Decreases surface tension of water
Penetrants - Answers - helps pass through outer surface of plants - through waxy
coating on leaves (cuticle)
Defoaming agents - Answers - eliminate foam from spray tanks (especially during
agitation)
Mixing of pesticides - Answers - 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 - Answers - antagonism: decrease effectiveness
Synergism: increase effectiveness (can be bad)
*cannot tell if chemically incompatible by mixing alone
physical incompatibility - Answers - pesticides don't mix properly
Curdling, gel formation, sludge
Perform jar compatibility test
Proper mixing order - Answers - 1) fill tank 1/4-1/2 full of carrier and agitate
2) add compatibility agent
3) add suspension products. Dry first (WP, DF), then liquids (F,L)
4) add emulsion products (EC)
5) add solution products
6) add surfactants/penetrants
7) finish filling tank
Residual or persistent pesticides - Answers - Remain active for days, weeks, years
Pre- emergence or early pre-plant
Residue may be harmful to non-targets
PHI - Answers - Preharvest interval - latest time to spray prior to harvest
Tolerance - Answers - amount of chemical residue that can legally remain on food or
feed
Selective pesticides - Answers - control pest with little injury to related organisms
Non selective (broad spectrum) - Answers - control nearly all related organisms. May
result in pest resurgence by killing beneficials
Nonselective pesticide resistance - Answers - Over use of broad spectrum pesticides
Insects - may kill natural preditors of pest -> resurgence
Plants - over time only plants that are resistant survive and produce seed
systemic (translocated) pesticide - Answers - move in plant / animal from uptake site to
other parts
Effective in plants with underground structures
Contact pesticide - Answers - control by direct contact with pest
kill annuals if all growing parts are above ground
Information on a label - Answers - Impact on wildlife, PPE, Re- entry interval
Before purchasing read label - Answers - label is legal document, general use pesticide
is not given classification
What is a pesticide - Answers - a substance used for destroying insects or other
organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals.
Pesticides are made up of - Answers - Active and inert ingredients
AI - Answers - Active ingredient - chemical effective against pest
Inert ingredients - Answers - don't harm pest but make the AI more effective
Herbicide formulation - Answers - may be ready to use or may require dilution with
carrier (oil or liquid)
60WDG - Answers - 60% AI water-dispersible granule
4EC - Answers - 4 lbs ai per gallon of emulsifiable concentrate
SP - Answers - Soluable powder - dry formulation. Mixed with water. Dissolve readily
and form true solution.
WP, P - Answers - Wettable Powder - dry formulation. Finely ground powder. Forms
suspension not true solution.
Abrasive, requires agitation, inhalation risk
DF, WDG - Answers - 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 - Answers - Granules - dry formulation. AI coated with clay, newspaper
Applied directly, no mixing
Low hazzard to applicators
P, PS - Answers - Pellets - dry formulation. Same as granules but larger
D - Answers - 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 - Answers - Emulsifiable concentrate - wet formulation.
AI mixed with 1+ solvents and emulsifier that allows mixing with water
Easily absorbed through skin (dermal hazzard)
ME - Answers - Microencapsulated - wet formulation
,AI is surrounded by plastic coating suspended in liquid
Time- release product
Bees catty it back to hive and can poison colony
S - Answers - Solutions - wet formulation
Form true solution when mixed
Will not settle or separate
ULV - Answers - Ultra-low volume concentration - wet formulation
Have high % ai with a solvent (usually oil)
Low application rate per acre
Fumigants - Answers - Produce gas, vapor, fumes, etc.
Special licencing required
Highly toxic
Restricted use pesticides - Answers - Only purchased by certified applicators or persons
under their supervision
Records of applications must be maintained for 2 years
Adjuvant - Answers - Chemical modifies physical properties, enhances performance or
both of pesticides
Includes spray modifiers
Activatior adjuvants - Answers - Water spreader (surfactants), Sticker (oils, laytex),
humectant,penetrator
utility adjuvants - Answers - defoamer, water conditioner (acids)
Drift reduction additives - Answers - thickening agents increase droplet size
Droplets must be over 200 microns
Sticker - Answers - increase adherence of chemical to surface
Surfactant, Spreaders - Answers - Spread spray mix more thoroughly
Decreases surface tension of water
Penetrants - Answers - helps pass through outer surface of plants - through waxy
coating on leaves (cuticle)
Defoaming agents - Answers - eliminate foam from spray tanks (especially during
agitation)
Mixing of pesticides - Answers - 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 - Answers - antagonism: decrease effectiveness
Synergism: increase effectiveness (can be bad)
*cannot tell if chemically incompatible by mixing alone
physical incompatibility - Answers - pesticides don't mix properly
Curdling, gel formation, sludge
Perform jar compatibility test
Proper mixing order - Answers - 1) fill tank 1/4-1/2 full of carrier and agitate
2) add compatibility agent
3) add suspension products. Dry first (WP, DF), then liquids (F,L)
4) add emulsion products (EC)
5) add solution products
6) add surfactants/penetrants
7) finish filling tank
Residual or persistent pesticides - Answers - Remain active for days, weeks, years
Pre- emergence or early pre-plant
Residue may be harmful to non-targets
PHI - Answers - Preharvest interval - latest time to spray prior to harvest
Tolerance - Answers - amount of chemical residue that can legally remain on food or
feed
Selective pesticides - Answers - control pest with little injury to related organisms
Non selective (broad spectrum) - Answers - control nearly all related organisms. May
result in pest resurgence by killing beneficials
Nonselective pesticide resistance - Answers - Over use of broad spectrum pesticides
Insects - may kill natural preditors of pest -> resurgence
Plants - over time only plants that are resistant survive and produce seed
systemic (translocated) pesticide - Answers - move in plant / animal from uptake site to
other parts
Effective in plants with underground structures
Contact pesticide - Answers - control by direct contact with pest
kill annuals if all growing parts are above ground
Information on a label - Answers - Impact on wildlife, PPE, Re- entry interval
Before purchasing read label - Answers - label is legal document, general use pesticide
is not given classification
