| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Leonard Berry |
| June 11, 2007 | (406) 444-5400 |
Commercial Applicators License Required for Businesses that Control Weeds, Insects and Other Pests
HELENA, Mont. — Hiring someone to control weeds is increasingly popular among homeowners who do not want to store or handle pesticides. Just make sure they are trained and licensed to do the job.
Sometimes people who do landscaping or farm work for hire assume that they can apply commonly available pesticides. A pesticide applicator's license is required to assure that applicators are trained to do the job safely and effectively, and that customers are getting their money's worth, according to Leonard Berry, pesticide program manager with the Montana Department of Agriculture.
"A pesticide is just an umbrella term for any substance intended to kill or control a pest including weeds," Berry says. Examples of pesticides include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and rodenticides.
The Montana Pesticide Act, 80-8-203 MCA, gives the Montana Department of Agriculture the authority to regulate the sale and use of pesticides within the state. The act states: "It is unlawful for a person to engage in the business of applying pesticides for another without a pesticide applicator's license obtained from the department of agriculture."
Commercial applicators are licensed in different categories, including: turf and ornamental (lawns); range, pasture and crop (agricultural); rights-of-way (roadsides); structural (homes and buildings); vertebrate pests; and forests.
The department recommends that landowners ask these questions before hiring
someone to control pests on their property:
• Do you have a commercial pesticide applicator license and what is
your license number? A business license alone is not sufficient.
• Do you have liability insurance or a bond to cover pesticide damage?
• What category of pesticide license do you hold?
• Do you have references?
• Are there any special precautions that I need to take after or during
the pesticide application?
For information on how to obtain a commercial pesticide applicator license
or to find out if your hired applicator is licensed, please contact the
Montana Department of Agriculture field office in your area or the Helena
office at 406-444-5400. Additional information is available online at http://agr.mt.gov.
