Glossary of commonly used terms related to pesticide use
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Terms:
Active Ingredient- (a) the ingredient of a pesticide that will prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate a pest; (b) the ingredient of a plant regulator which, through physiological action, accelerates or retards the rate of growth or rate of maturation or otherwise alter the behavior of ornamental or crop plants or the product thereof (i.e. fruit); (c) the ingredient of a defoliant which will cause the leaves or foliage to drop from a plant; (d) the ingredient of a desiccant which will artificially accelerate the drying of plant tissue.
Antimicrobial pesticide-a pesticide that (a) disinfects, sanitizes, reduces or mitigates growth or development of microbiological organisms or (b) protects inanimate objects, industrial processes or systems, surfaces, water, or other chemical substances from contamination, fouling, or deterioration caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, algae or slime.
Brand- any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination thereof, which serves to distinguish a pesticide product manufactured, distributed, sold, or offered for sale by one person from that manufactured, distributed, sold, or offered for sale by any other person.
Certification- the recognition granted by the Board to an applicator upon satisfactory completion of board approved requirements. The applicator becomes "certified" when these requirements are met.
Commercial applicator- any person who has completed the requirements for certification as determined by the board to use or supervise the use of any pesticide for any purpose or on any property other than as provided in the definition of private applicator.
Defoliant- any substance or mixture of substances which causes the leaves or foliage to drop from a plant.
Desiccant-any substance or mixture of substances intended for artificially accelerating the drying of plant tissue.
Device-any instrument (other than a firearm) which can be used 1). To trap, destroy, repel or mitigate an insect or animal or 2). To destroy, repel, or mitigate fungi, bacteria, weeds or other pests. The term device does not include treated articles such as copper treated wood or application equipment.
Drift- the physical movement of pesticide through the air at the time of pesticide application or soon thereafter from the target site to any nontarget or off-target site. Pesticide drift will not include movement of pesticides to nontarget or off-target sites caused by erosion, migration, volatility, or windblown soil particles that occurs after application unless specifically addressed on the pesticide product label with respect to drift control requirements.
Environment- includes water, air, land, and all plants and man and other animals living therein, and the interrelationships which exist among these.
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Fumigant-any substance (or mixture of substances)that emits or liberates gases, fumes or vapors capable of destroying vermin, rodents, insects, weeds or other pests. An insecticidal fogger is not a fumigant.
Fungicide-any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any fungi or plant disease.
Fungus- any non-chlorophyll-bearing thallophyte (that is any, non-chlorophyll-bearing plant of a lower order than mosses and liverworts), as for example, rust, smut, mildew, mold, yeast, and bacteria, except those on or in living man or other animals and those on or in processed food, beverages, or pharmaceuticals.
Grade- means formulation of a pesticide, except that the addition of pigments solely for color shall not constitute a change in the formulation such as to constitute a new grade requiring registration.
Herbicide-any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any weed or undesirable plant, including any algae or other aquatic weed.
Ingredient statement- a statement containing: (i) the name and percentage of each active ingredient; (ii) the total percentage of the inert or other ingredients; and (iii) if the pesticide contains arsenic in any form, the percentage of total and water soluble arsenic.
Insect- any small invertebrate animal generally having a segmented form and belonging to the class Insecta including beetles, bugs and bees. In some cases, people may use this term when referring to other classes of arthropods whose members are usually wingless and have more than six legs including spiders, mites, ticks, centipedes, and wood lice.
Insecticide- any substance or mixture of substance intended for preventing, destroying, repelling , or mitigating any insects.
Label- the written, printed or graphic matter on, or attached to, the pesticide or device, or the immediate container thereof, and the outside container or wrapper of the retail package, if any, of the pesticide or device.
Labeling- all labels and other written, printed, or graphic matter: (i) upon the pesticide or device or any of its containers or wrappers; (ii) accompanying the pesticide or device at any time; or (iii) referenced on the label or in literature accompanying the pesticide or device.
Marine antifoulant paint- any compound, coating, paint or treatment applied or used for the purpose of controlling freshwater or marine fouling organisms on vessels.
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Nematode- any invertebrate animals of the phylum nemathelminthes and class nematode, that is, unsegmented round worms with elongated fusiform, or saclike bodies covered with cuticle, and inhabiting soil, water, plants, or plant parts; also may be referred to as nemas or eelworms.
Pest- means any deleterious organism that is: (i) any vertebrate animal other than man; (ii) any invertebrate animal excluding any internal parasite of living man or other living animals; (iii) any plant growing where not wanted, and any plant part such as a root; or (iv) any bacterium, virus, or other microorganisms (except for those on or in living man or other living animals and those on or in processed food or processed animal feed, beverages, drugs as defined by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act at 21 U.S.C. § 321(g) (1), and cosmetics as defined by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act at 21 U.S.C. § 321(i)). Any organism classified as endangered, threatened, or otherwise protected under federal or state laws shall not be deemed a pest for the purposes of this chapter.
Pesticide- (i) any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any insects, rodents, fungi, bacteria, weeds, other forms of plant or animal life, bacterium, or viruses, except viruses on or in living man or other animals, which the Commissioner shall declare to be a pest; (ii) any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant; and (iii) any substance intended to become an active ingredient in any substance defined in clause (i) and (ii).
Pesticide business- any person engaged in the business of distributing, applying, or recommending the use of a pesticide product; or storing, selling, or offering for sale pesticides for distribution directly to the user. The term "pesticide business" does not include (i) wood treaters not for hire; (ii) seed treaters not for hire; (iii) operations that produce agricultural products unless the owners or operators of such operations described in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of this definition are engaged in the business of selling or offering for sale pesticides, or distributing pesticides to persons outside of that agricultural producing operation in connection with commercial transactions; or (iv) businesses exempted by regulations adopted by the board.
Plant regulator- means any substance or mixture of substances, intended through physiological action, for accelerating or retarding the rate of growth or rate of maturation, or for otherwise altering the behavior of ornamental or crop plants or the produce thereof, but shall not include substances to the extent that they are intended as plant nutrients, trace elements, nutritional chemicals, plant inoculants, and soil amendments.
Registered technician- an individual who renders services similar to those of a certified commercial applicator, but who has not completed all the training or time in service requirements to be eligible for examination for certification as a commercial applicator, and is limited to application of general use pesticides. However, if he applies restricted use pesticides he shall do so only under the direct supervision of a certified commercial applicator.
Restricted use pesticide- any pesticide classified as restricted by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Rodent- means any animal of the order Rodentia including, but not limited to, rats, mice, rabbits, gophers, prairie dogs, and squirrels.
Rodenticide- any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating rodents or any other vertebrate animal declared by the Commissioner to be a pest.
Vector- any organism capable of transmitting the causative agent of human disease or capable of producing human discomfort or injury, including mosquitos, flies, fleas, cockroaches, or other insects and ticks, mites, or rats.
Weed- any plant which grows where not wanted.
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References:
The above terms and definitions are either taken from or based on definitions found in the following sources:
Virginia Pesticide Control Act- §3.2-3900; §3.2-3935
Regulations Pursuant to the Virginia Pesticide Control Act- 2 VAC 5-670-10; 2 VAC 20-675-10; 2 VAC 5-680-10; 2 VAC 5-685-10.
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), Section 2
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), Chapter II