Sunday, September 30, 2007

Bugs in Passing

In celebration of my passing the North Carolina Commercial Pesticide Applicators License I thought I would celebrate the diversity of life that helps make our own life on this planet possible.

Don't you just love a bug that tries to mimic fuzzy excrement.














I got a score of 86 on the Turf and Ornamental section and a score of 92 on the core exam. Not bad for a single quick reading of the manuals.

I don't know what this bug is, but it sure likes the Goldenrod. Great stripes!


















Now I just sign the form and send them $50 and I am licensed until December 31st 2007. Excuse me?

This is an annual fee that expires every year on December 31st. Further reading says If I do not plan to apply any pesticides during one year of the five year certification period I do not need to purchase a license for that year.

I think I need to give the NCDA & CS a buzz.



















Fifty dollars a year for some paper work sounds a bit predatory to me. And I have to take 10 hours of continuing recertification credits over the five year certification period to renew the license. That's not so bad. It could be interesting.


















Perhaps they need that annual $50 to help run this program so a bunch of yahoos don't kill off all the pretty creatures we share the planet with.














Still it stings a bit.



















I wonder if this partial year will be one of my five year certification period? I am still gainfully unemployed and it is about to get cold. The chances of me needing to kill any bugs on a commercial basis this year are nil. Losing a whole year could sting a bit too.














Oh well I passed the test.
















One more thing to scratch off the list on becoming a valuable citizen of a new place.


















There sure are a lot of bugs and pretty butterflies here and these are just the ones I was able to capture on film.

I don't really want to kill them. At least the ones that have the good sense to live outside.

4 comments:

Carol Michel said...

Hopefully, you won't have to kill too many bugs with chemicals, but I'm sure there are jobs that require the certification, so congrats on passing the test!

chuck b. said...

Yeah, it's something. That's a great score without having studied much. Did they tell you which questions you answered incorrectly? I always think that's the best way to learn something--to miss a few questions on the test. I missed "courteous" in the 5th grade spelling bee, and I've never forgotten.

Chris Kreussling (Flatbush Gardener) said...

The beautiful black and yellow beetle is Megacyllene robiniae, Locust Borer. I got some shots of them mating in the flowers on the hillside when I visited in August.

Christopher C. NC said...

Thanks for the ID xris. We certainly have plenty of Black Locust for them to bore into. There is some other pest that eats the leaves and totally defoliates them by the end of the summer.