This past week, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA)launched online testing for commercial pesticide applicators. In the past, people wanting to be licensed as commercial applicators must register and go to testing locations to be tested. Now applicators have a…

February is National Pesticide Safety Education month. This is a time to carefully examine current best safety practices with pesticide use. Pesticides are key tools used to manage a diverse group of pests, diseases, and weeds. Pesticide safety is just…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed the Paraquat Interim Registration Review Decision (Paraquat ID). The Paraquat ID completed portions of EPA’s analysis of paraquat’s risks and benefits and determined that certain mitigation measures were necessary for paraquat to meet…

Scientific Integrity On January 24, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released draft updates to its Scientific Integrity policy for public comment. The updates would include adopting a new Federal definition of scientific integrity and improving the culture of scientific integrity…

While we have just completed the first year under the new recertification rules for pesticide licenses, there is one new deadline for relicensing that comes up at the end of this month. The new regulations have shortened the grace period…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed measures to reduce the hazard of the fungicidal active ingredient, chlorothalonil, to sensitive species in the environment, as well as to humans exposed during application, dietary exposure, and potentially other means of…

With the outdoor growing season winding done, applicators are storing pesticides until next year. Storing these pesticides properly helps to protect your investment, as well as protect other persons and the environment. The amount of pesticides stored varies considerably from…

This is the first year under the new recertification rules for pesticide licenses. The new regulations emphasize earning continuing education units (CEUs) to maintain licenses. With the new rule, commercial and non-commercial pesticide applicators and operators will need to have…

How the public views pesticides and pesticide applicators is greatly influenced by the professionalism they view among pesticide applicators. Consequently, both private and commercial applicators have a new EPA-required core competency for professionalism as a certified applicator. This competency area…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently registered Amiflex as the first ‘flash’ treatment to control varroa mite in commercial honey bee colonies. This product is designed to provide quick knock-down of varroa mite and should be best used in a…

Pesticides for purchase at local stores or online to anyone are referred to as ‘General Use’ or unclassified pesticides by the EPA. You do not need a license or certification to purchase and use these on your own property. Although…

All pesticides sold in the United States have a trade name, common name, and chemical name.  While this can be confusing to many, there are important distinctions among these as they are used in different ways.  To add to this…

There has been a high level of interest in using unmanned drones to apply pesticides to crops in certain situations.  There has also been some confusion in terms of what pesticide certifications are needed to make these aerial applications in…