A ______ is an employee of a government agency whose duties for the agency include the use of pesticides.

• A. Public Applicator
• B. Commercial Applicator
• C. Non-Commercial Applicator
• D. Pest Management Consultant

Answer: (A)

Public applicators are government employees whose duties include applying pesticides as part of their official job. This definition centers on who performs the pesticide applications—the person is tied to a government agency and uses pesticides in that role. They’re different from commercial applicators, who provide pesticide services for a fee to clients, and from other roles like pest management consultants, who offer advice rather than performing the actual applications. A non-commercial applicator may apply pesticides in settings outside private pest-control businesses, but the defining factor for the public category is government employment and duties.