LDAF has online search for pesticide applicators

Users of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry mobile app can now look up private and commercial pesticide applicators since the state agency has performed a recent update.

The app also allows users to search for aerial and ground owner operators, agricultural consultants, structural pest control businesses, licensees and technicians, as well as restricted use pesticide dealers and sales people, according to Ag Commissioner Mike Strain.

“The original goal of having this mobile app was to make it easier to verify landscaping and horticulture professionals," Strain said in a prepared release. "Now we have expanded that list to include pest control professionals which should be helpful to both the public and our inspectors out in the field.”

The app allows users to verify a license, a certification, business permit or even file a complaint.

According to the LDAF release, as weather gets warmer, insect activity increases during the day and at night. Soon, termites will swarm. As homeowners experience these pests in and around their home, LDAF encourages them to contact a licensed pest control professional for identification and control.

“The mobile app is a convenient tool to easily check the credentials of persons representing themselves as a pest management professional,” Strain said.

According to the release, "farmer cooperatives and businesses must have a RUP dealer license to purchase and sell these pesticides. These licensed dealers must verify that a person has the required certification to purchase a RUP. The app makes it quick and easy to verify certifications of pesticide applicators purchasing these restricted use pesticides.”

To file a complaint against a pesticide applicator or business, app users can fill out a form and submit it electronically. Those complaints are received sooner, which can provide a quicker response to complaints or concerns, the release said.

First introduced in January 2018, the LDAF Business App can be downloaded for free from iTunes and Google Play stores.

Anyone not having a smartphone device, license verification is still available on the LDAF website at www.ldaf.state.la.us or by calling 225-925-3770.