South Carolina Category 3Turf and Ornamentals
Pest Control
Pest Control
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| South Carolina Category 3Pest Control |
Category Definition
Category 3 Turf and Ornamentals Pest ControlUnit 1 Environmental Safety
Unit 2 Health Hazards
Unit 3 Turfgrass Pest Control
Unit 4 Ornamental Pest Control
Unit 5 Major Pests within South Carolina
Unit 6 Pesticide Classifications and Formulations
Unit 7 Application Equipment and Technology
Unit 8 Equipment Calibration
Unit 9 Interiorscape Pest Control
Unit 10 Pest Control in Greenhouses
Test Your Knowledge
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This category is for applicators using or supervising the use of restricted use pesticides to control pests in maintenance and production of ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers, and turf. Performing "turf and ornamental pest control activities" includes, but is not limited to, the use of any pesticide with the intent to prevent, destroy, repel or otherwise mitigate any pest of publicly or privately owned turf or ornamental plantings for compensation or as a government employee on the property of another, including the installation of devices. Turf and ornamental pest control activities also includes the soliciting, advertising, or making of sales proposals in any form for any services involving the use of pesticides or devices with the intent to prevent, destroy, repel, or otherwise mitigate any pest of turf or ornamental plantings. (SCPCA 2006)
Beginning on January 1, 2006, a license will be required for applicators working in this category on someone else's property unless they are working under the supervision of someone who is properly licensed. Use of either a Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) or a general use pesticide will require a license. |
Q. What major factors determine whether a pesticide is likely
to reach groundwater when applied in a turf and ornamental setting?
A. Four major factors determine whether a pesticide will also
move through the soil and contaminate groundwater: properties of pesticides,
properties of the soil, conditions of the site and management practices.
Q. Where does most groundwater contamination occur?
A. Most groundwater contamination occurs at the mixing/loading
site. Avoid all spills, especially near wells or other water sources.
Q. What four main safeguards are farmers required to install
on chemigation?
A. An interlock must connect the chemical injection equipment
with the irrigation pump. There must be a check valve between the irrigation
pump and the point of injection of the chemical. A vacuum breaker must
be behind the check valve. A low-pressure drain must be behind the
check valve.
Q. Name ways in which birds might be exposed to a pesticide
being applied to turf or ornamentals.
A. Birds may come into contact with a chemical through direct
spraying, by contact with recently treated soil, turf or foliage, by
consuming granules or pellets that are mistaken as food or by bathing
in a puddle containing insecticide. Birds and other vertebrate animals
can also be killed if they feed on a poisoned pest animal, or plant
part, or are the unintended victim of baits.
Q. When do most bee poisonings occur?
A. Most bee poisonings occur when pesticides are applied to
blooming plants on which bees are present.
Q. What are ways to reduce drift problems when using air blast
sprayers in orchards?
A. Be sure the machine is properly adjusted to direct the spray
into the tree canopy. On most sprayers, one or more of the upper nozzles
will not deliver spray to the tree and should be shut off. Use only
the nozzles that actually deliver spray to the tree.
Q. How should gloves be worn when spraying overhead?
A. If you need to raise your arms up when spraying, be sure
gloves are worn outside the sleeves. Tape gloves to sleeves to be certain
no pesticide runs down the inside of the gloves when arms are lowered.
Q. What procedure should be followed when eyes are harmed by
pesticides?
A. If a pesticide is splashed into the eye, immediately wash
it with a gentle stream of clean running water for 15 minutes while
holding the eyelid open. A few seconds delay could increase the extent
of injury. Do not use chemicals or drugs in wash water, as they may
increase injury.
Q. What is meant by Restricted Entry Interval (REI)?
A. REI is a period of time after application of a pesticide
during which worker entry to the treated area is restricted.
Q. What are some employer responsibilities when Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) is required by the product labeling?
A. Employers are responsible for providing appropriate PPE to
each worker, proper cleaning and maintenance of PPE, ensuring each
handler wears PPE correctly, preventing use of contaminated PPE and
taking actions to prevent heat stress.
Q. What practices help keep respirators effective?
A. Discard cartridges, canisters and filter pads when breathing
becomes difficult, when you notice a pesticide odor or at the time
interval specified by the manufacturer. Write the date on the cartridge
when it is first used. Wash the face piece in detergent and water,
rinse it thoroughly and dry in a well-ventilated area.
Q. What determines the correct mowing height and correct intervals?
A. Determine the correct mowing height and correct intervals
by the species of grass and use of turf. A good rule of thumb for mowing
heights is never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade.
Q. How can thatch reduce the effectiveness of pesticides?
A. Thatch may provide favorable environments for disease and
insects and may reduce the effectiveness of pesticides by binding with
the pesticide.
Q. What type of watering should be avoided (except during turfgrass
establishment) because it promotes shallow roots systems, which can lead
to increased incidence of weeds and diseases?
A. Avoid light, frequent waterings (except during establishment
of turfgrass) because they promote shallow root systems, which lead
to an increased incidence of weeds and diseases.
Q. Why is turf grown in shady areas usually less vigorous? What
are some solutions?
A. Turf grown in shady areas usually is less vigorous, spotty
and more prone to invading weed competition because of lower light
levels. If repeated plantings do not end the problem, consider replacing
grass with shade tolerant ground cover, wood chips or decorative stones.
Increase air movement by pruning trees and shrubs.
Q. What method uses water to sample insects associated with
the thatch layer?
A. Flotation involves using a large can filled with water and
placed in turf where insects are suspected.
Q. What kind of herbicide is applied to growing weeds before
they have emerged from the soil?
A. Preemergence herbicides are applied before seeds begin to
germinate early in the spring/summer to control summer annuals and
late summer/fall for controlling winter annuals.
Q. What is the most effective, long-term solution to minimizing
weed problems?
A. Proper turf maintenance is the best way to minimize weed
problems, which are usually the result of poor turfgrass management.
The most common causes of poor turf are improper mowing, watering and
fertilizing, and compacted soil.
Q. When is pruning a good method of insect control?
A. Pruning can be a useful method of insect control if an infestation
is detected early and is restricted to certain parts of the plant.
Q. Why is control of galls not recommended under most circumstances?
A. Most galls are produced by insects that move to trees as
new growth develops and can only be controlled by insecticides which
cover leaves when eggs are being deposited. Once a gall is formed,
damage is done, and pesticides will not control the pest.
Q. When is the most effective time to control armored scales?
A. Application timing is best after eggs have hatched and insects
are in the "crawler" stage. During the crawler stage, the insect is
not under the protective shell and can be controlled using insecticides.
Once the crawler stops moving and secretes a protective covering over
itself, however, control becomes more difficult. You may have to look
underneath shells to determine if crawlers have emerged.
Q. What are some ways to avoid pesticide resistance?
A. Use pesticides only when necessary, spot treat only infested
areas and rotate chemicals or chemical classes.
Q. In what areas is powdery mildew most common?
A. Powdery mildew is most common in dense, shady areas where
air circulation is poor. Warm, dry days and cool, damp nights favor
disease development.
Q. What are ways to prevent root rot?
A. Provide plants with good growing conditions. Avoid planting
trees and shrubs that are susceptible to root rot in poorly drained
areas, or in areas that receive excessive amounts of water, for example,
under downspouts. Avoid over- or underwatering.
Q. What are methods of control for Verticillium wilt?
A. Once Verticillium wilt is suspected, water the tree immediately
to prevent moisture stress. Remove dead branches by pruning. Clean
and sanitize tools between cuts. Remove severely infected trees. Do
not chip, compost or bury infected wood or plants. Avoid replanting
the area with a susceptible tree or shrub, because the fungus is soilborne
and can persist for years.
Q. What types of damage are caused by mole crickets?
A. Mole crickets feed at night on roots of grass, and their
burrowing also uproots seedlings and causes soil to dry out quickly.
Q. What is the host range for slime mold?
A. All turfgrasses, as well as associated grass weed species,
are hosts of slime mold.
Q. Describe the cycle of Japanese beetles.
A. Insects overwinter as white grubs in soil. With the approach
of warm spring temperatures, they move toward the soil surface and
resume feeding on grass roots. Grubs become fully grown from late May
through June and change to pupae in soil. Adults emerge from the soil
from late June through July. After mating, females live 30-45 days
and lay 40-60 eggs, usually in the soil.
Q. Describe a method of nonchemical control of daylily leaf
streak.
A. A wider spacing of plants and management of overhead irrigation
aid in control by allowing plant parts to dry. Clean up and destroy
previous season's litter after first hard freeze. Select clean planting
stock.
Q. What causes Botrytis Blight on Marigold?
A. Botrytis Blight on Marigold is caused by the fungus Botrytis
cinerea, which occurs throughout South Carolina. In wet, cool weather
the fungus will attack buds, opened flowers, stems and leaves.
Q. What insecticides have the ability to act systemically?
A. Organphosphates are used to control insects and mites; some
have the ability to act systemically.
Q. What insecticides are synthetic organic pesticides that are
quite popular because they are highly effective, moderately priced and
generally short-lived in the environment?
A. Carbamates are highly effective, moderately priced and generally
short-lived in the environment.
Q. What insecticides affect the function of the central nervous
system?
A. Most pyrethroids affect the function of the central nervous
system, stimulating nerve cells to produce repetitive discharges and
eventually causing paralysis.
Q. What kind of herbicides are designed to kill only specific
targeted plants?
A. Selective herbicides are designed to kill only specific targeted
plants, while nonselective herbicides kill all plants.
Q. What herbicide kills the plant parts to which it is applied?
A. Contact herbicide kills the plant parts to which it is applied.
Q. What kind of herbicides are absorbed by the roots or the
above-ground parts of the plant and are translocated throughout the plant
system?
A. Systemic herbicides, which are absorbed by the roots or the above-ground
parts of the plant, are translocated throughout the plant system.
Q. Which formulations work well on outdoor turf and ornamentals,
because they leave little visible residue?
A. Emulsifiable concentrates are adaptable to many different
kinds of application equipment and work well on turf and ornamentals
as well as on greenhouse plants.
Q. Which formulations are easy to use and unlikely to harm nontarget
organisms?
A. Low concentration solutions are easy to use and are unlikely
to harm nontarget organisms.
Q. What kind of ground equipment can penetrate heavy vegetation
and reach the tops of tall shade trees?
A. High-pressure sprayers are used for many different pest control
jobs because they can penetrate heavy vegetation and can reach the
tops of tall shade trees.
Q. What kind of ground equipment should only be used in calm
weather?
A. Air blast sprayers can be used only in calm weather because
of significant drift, and windy conditions interfere with the normal
pattern of the sprayer.
Q. When using dry formulations, what kind of granular spreader
applies coarse, dry particles in a precise pattern with little chance
of drift?
A. Drop (gravity) spreaders are designed to apply coarse, uniformly
sized, dry particles to soil, water and, in some cases, foliage. Drop
spreaders are generally more precise than rotary spreaders and deliver
a better pattern.
Q. What type of granular spreader applies coarse, dry particles
quickly, but with the chance of drift?
A. Rotary (centrifugal) spreaders cover a wide swath and so
cover an area faster than drop spreaders.
Q. What kind of nozzles are used primarily when penetration
is essential for effective insect and disease control and when drift
is not a major concern?
A. Hollow-cone nozzles (disc and core type) are used primarily
when plant foliage penetration is essential for effective insect and
disease control and when drift is not a major concern.
Q. What kind of nozzles can be used when better penetration
of dense foliage is needed?
A. Twin flat spray nozzles are used because their two angles
of spray give better penetration of dense foliage.
Q. What operational technique should be used in orchard spraying
when wind velocities are so high that the spray pattern is bent?
A. Use the head/tail wind technique by spraying on rows at right
angles to the wind when spray pattern is bent and coverage is not complete.
Q. When using power sprayers, what variables affect the amount
of spray mixture that is applied per acre or per 1,000 sq. ft.?
A. Nozzle flow rate, ground speed and spray width per nozzle
affect the amount of spray mixture that is applied per acre or per
1,000 sq. ft.
Q. What is the first step in calibrating equipment?
A. The first step in calibrating equipment is to determine the
amount of pesticide needed to adequately cover the target area.
Q. What are the three general steps of diagnosis?
A. Diagnosis of a problem consists of three steps: perceiving
a problem, determining the cause or causes and planning a solution.
Q. What pathogen produces a multitude of spores that function
like plant seeds?
A. Most fungi produce many spores that function like plant seeds.
Q. On what ornamentals are whiteflies most common?
A. Indoors, whiteflies are most likely to be found on poinsettia,
fuchsia, chrysanthemum or other flowering plants brought into the location
for color.
Q. What kind of management provides a practical, economical
and environmentally appropriate way to control pests?
A. Integrated Pest Management provides a practical, economical,
and environmentally appropriate way to control pests.
Q. Why should greenhouse workers be discouraged from wearing
yellow clothing?
A. Discourage greenhouse workers from wearing yellow clothing,
as some insects are attracted to the color yellow and may be carried
on the clothing to another areas.
Q. What unique risks of exposure do applicators in greenhouses
face?
A. Some of these are working in confined spaces, working with
closely spaced or overhead plants and working with pesticides that
may react differently in greenhouses than outdoors (for example, sprays
may dry more slowly).
Q. What is the safest way to spray as you walk forward in the
greenhouse?
A. Apply the pesticide by walking completely into the row and
spray while backing out.
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Last Updated: July 19, 2005