Category 8A - General Public Health Pest Control Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering the essential vocabulary, regulatory standards, toxicity terms, and pest biology from the New Jersey Pesticide Applicator Training Manual for Category 8A (General Public Health Pest Control).

Department of Environmental Protection - Pesticide Control Program

The lead agency in New Jersey responsible for pesticide regulatory matters, including examination, certification, and enforcement.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

The organization responsible for providing pesticide applicator training in New Jersey.

Direct Supervision (NJ Commercial)

A relationship where a certified applicator is available via timely voice contact and able to be at the application site within a reasonable amount of time, defined as $3$ hours.

NJAC 7:30

The New Jersey Administrative Code title and chapter where pesticide control regulations are codified, covering registration, licensing, and use.

Pesticide Operator

A person who is trained and registered to apply pesticides under the direct supervision of a commercial certified applicator.

Commercial Pesticide Applicator Recertification

A process required every $5$ years, involving the accumulation of $8$ units in Core and $16$ units in each certified category.

Reportable Spill (Inside)

Any spill inside a structure of more than $1$ gallon of liquid combination or dry formulations containing $1$ lb or more of active ingredient.

Reportable Spill (Outside)

Any spill outside a structure of any pesticide containing $1$ lb or more of active ingredient.

$$LD_{50}$$

The 'lethal dose' required to kill $50\%$ of a test population, expressed in milligrams of test material per kilogram of body weight ($mg/kg$).

Acute Toxicity

Toxicity resulting from the handling and application of a particular material, typically from a single exposure.

Chronic Toxicity

Harmful systemic effects produced by long-term, low-level exposure to a toxic substance.

Carcinogen

A substance that causes cancer.

Teratogen

A substance that causes physical birth defects in offspring following exposure of the pregnant female.

Mutagen

A substance that causes genes in an organism to mutate or change.

Dermal Exposure

Absorption of pesticides through the skin, identified as the cause of $80\%$ of agricultural poisoning cases.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

A multicomponent approach to pest control that considers cultural, physical, and biological measures to suppress populations to a tolerable level.

Gradual Metamorphosis

A life cycle consisting of three distinct stages: egg, nymph, and adult.

Complete Metamorphosis

A life cycle consisting of four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

German Cockroach ($Blattella\,germanica$)

A brown insect roughly $1/2$ inch long with two dark bands on the pronotum; the most common cockroach species found in buildings.

American Cockroach ($Periplaneta\,americana$)

The largest common cockroach in New Jersey, reaching $1\,1/2$ inches, reddish-brown with a yellowish border on the pronotum.

Bed Bugs

Wingless, reddish-brown, flattened insects that feed on blood at night and hide in cracks associated with sleeping areas.

Myiasis

The infestation of the tissues and organs of humans and animals by fly maggots.

Cluster Fly

A fly slightly larger than a house fly, recognized by yellow/bronze hairs on the thorax, whose larvae are parasites of earthworms.

Nits

The eggs of lice, which are individually glued to fibers of clothing or hairs of the host.

Culiseta melanura

A mosquito species that circulates Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus among native birds.

Asian Tiger Mosquito ($Aedes\,albopictus$)

An invasive urban mosquito that breeds in water-holding containers and frequently bites during the day.

Lyme Disease

A multi-systemic inflammatory disorder caused by the spirochete $Borrelia\,burgdorferi$ and transmitted by the blacklegged tick.

Blacklegged Tick ($Ixodes\,scapularis$)

A tick requiring two years to complete its development, also known as the deer tick; the primary vector of Lyme Disease.

Norway Rat ($Rattus\,norvegicus$)

A social, burrowing rodent also known as the sewer or barn rat, averaging $12$-$18$ inches in length.

Guano

Accumulated bat droppings, which are rich in nitrogen.

Pit Vipers

A group of poisonous snakes (rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths) characterized by a deep pit on each side of the head and vertically elliptical pupils.

Urushiol

The toxic oil present in poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac that causes allergic skin reactions.

Common Ragweed ($Ambrosia\,artemisifolia\,L.$)

A hairy-stemmed annual plant $1$ to $5$ feet tall that produces large quantities of allergenic pollen.

Giant Hogweed

An invasive biennial reaching $6$ to $18$ feet; its sap causes severe skin irritations/blisters when the skin is exposed to light.