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The Pesticide and Pest Management Division is comprised of three main programs, Pesticide Enforcement, Pest Management and Pest Eradication, and two minor programs, Native Plant Protection
and Apiary Regulation.
The Pesticide Enforcement program
focuses its efforts on protecting the public and the environment
from improper pesticide use. Pesticide use in agricultural
and urban settings is routinely inspected to ensure that
the pesticide is used correctly. Prior to any agricultural
use, growers must pass an exam on safety, proper use and
applicable regulations. Use permits are issued to growers
after evaluating the impact on the surrounding area and
restrictions placed on use to minimize the hazards of
the pesticide. In the urban settings, all pest control
companies and their employees are required to be licensed
by the state. Audits and inspections verify that only
qualified people apply pesticides in and around homes.
Homeowners are exempt from this requirement.
Employees of businesses using pesticides are required
to be trained prior to using pesticides or working in
agricultural areas where pesticides have been applied.
Record audits and interviews with agricultural laborers
verify compliance. In addition, all pesticide use is reported
to us which allows another means of monitoring usage.
The Pest Management program’s
staff manufacture rodent baits for sale and spray herbicides
along roads and flood channels to eliminate weeds. By
the careful application of herbicides by our licensed
staff, roadside fire hazards are eliminated, visibility
is improved and maintenance costs are reduced. Last year,
over 6,500 acres of land were treated. Other department
staff provide free pest control advice and pest identification
service to the general public.
Despite the best efforts of the people in the Pest Exclusion
Division, some pests become established in the County.
When this happens, the Department evaluates the situation
and launches an eradication program when feasible. Currently
the Pest Eradication program
is dealing primarily with weeds such as halogeton, knapweeds
and yellow star thistle. You can learn more about these
pests in Pest Prevention section.
Beekeepers are required to have permission to use the
property where they place their colonies of bees and to
provide water for the bees. Often, the water source dries
up and the bees invade local residential areas in search
of water. The Apiary program
resolves complaints regarding commercial beekeepers and
provides disease inspection services for beekeepers moving
bees out of state.
The Native Plant program regulates
the removal of cactus, yuccas and other desert plants.
Commercial harvesting of these plants has not occurred
in over ten years because the harvested areas were not
recovering as expected. Property owners can remove five
or fewer native plants without a permit provided that
they are not selling the plants. In situations involving
building sites, removal permits are issued with the building
permit.
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