Pennsylvania Category 23 - Park or School Commercial Applicator Bundle
This course bundle is geared toward the park or school commercial applicator. This course bundle contains 10 credits of park or school (category 23) training. This course bundle may be paired with any core bundle to fulfill recertification requirements. All courses have been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Please click on course details for a full list of courses.
BUNDLE CONTENTS
Park or School Pest Control (Category 23) Training:
- Intro to Mosquito Control – 4 credits
- Common Ornamental Plant Pests – 6 credits
Intro to Mosquito Control
Course Description
Mankind has been battling mosquitoes since before the first settlers landed on the continent. Mosquitoes are vectors for a multitude of diseases that are harmful to humans, livestock, and pets. To effectively manage a mosquito population as part of an integrated pest management plan applicators must be familiar with mosquito physiology, the lifecycle of the mosquito, and various collection and surveillance methods for both adult mosquitoes and larvae. It is also important to have a good understanding of the diseases that are commonly vectored by mosquitoes. The course will talk about surveillance methods, mosquito anatomy, and touch on the diseases that are most commonly vectored by mosquitoes in the United States.
After completing this course participants will be able to:
- Describe the different stages in the mosquito lifecycle.
- Explain the differences between male and female mosquitoes.
- Suggest different surveillance and collection tactics to efficiently trap mosquitoes in the target area.
- List and describe several commonly mosquito vectored diseases.
Common Ornamental Plant Pests
Course Description
Pest management of ornamental plants involves multiple steps from growing a healthy plant that is more resistant to pest damage to correctly identifying the problem when present. This course will cover the most common pests of ornamental plants.
After completing this course participants will be able to:
- Identify common landscape weeks and outline how to manage them.
- Identify common plant disorders and identify how to avoid them in the future.
- Identify common plant diseases and outline how to manage them.
- Describe nematode damage and explain why sampling prior to planting is important.
- Identify common vertebrate and invertebrate pests and outline the best management strategy for each.