Ask the experts: Why should I hire a licensed applicator?

Why should you hire a licensed applicator? They cost more (usually) than the guy who mows lawns and has a backpack sprayer in his pickup. They’re just spraying weeds in my lawn or my beds, or maybe the fence line. Or putting down “poison” for bugs. What’s the big deal?

Actually, it IS a big deal and here are the reasons why:

Knowledge of WSDA Laws & Safety:

First and foremost, spraying herbicides or pesticides without a license is illegal. Anyone who applies any type of herbicide AND is getting paid to do so, must be licensed by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). This process includes a laws and safety test, that must be passed and, at a bare minimum, an Ornamental Weed license. If someone is applying any type of insecticide, they would also need an Ornamental Insect & Disease license.

Licensed Applicators invest in Continuing Education

People who apply any type of pesticide without a license are practicing unfair business. At Tuff Turf, every employee is a licensed operator. Acquiring and maintaining a spray license is not cheap. We pay our new employees to study for and take the test. To maintain a license, you have a five-year period in which to either get 40 hours of WSDA approved credit hours, with no more than 15 credits a year, or re-test. We believe it is in both our operator’s and our client’s best interests to pay our people to get the educational credits. Plus, there is the yearly cost of re-licensing each employee. We’re talking about thousands of dollars yearly to do business the right way.

Licensed, bonded, and Insured      

Unless the person or company that is applying any type of pesticide on your property has insurance specifically covering pesticide applications, they are not covered. Licensed and bonded is not the same thing as having spray insurance. So, if “Joe pickup dude” accidentally kills the wrong thing, he is not covered and you may have quite a difficult time getting restitution.

Superior Knowledge & Professionalism

We know what we’re doing. We read all the labels of all the products we use, and follow rates, site use and know what restrictions apply. The label is the law when applying any pesticide. We know what works best and where. And most importantly, what to not use where.

·         Part of what you’re paying for when you hire us to work for you is the experience, education and professionalism of our employees. We know what we are doing and if one of our guys doesn’t know the answer to your question, they come to me and I figure it out. We take great pride in being effective communicators and problem solvers. That’s part of the service you’re paying for.

So, next time you’re considering having some sort of pesticide application done, you should consider all the potential costs, not just the up-front one.