Like a lot of people, you probably have taken a weed or a dead bug into your local garden center or retailer and asked which pesticide to buy. The helpful clerk went to aisle of pesticides and picked out one saying it should do the trick.

The clerk is probably violating rules adopted by the Indiana Pesticide Review Board. Under the Pesticide Consultants Registration Rule (357 IAC 1-9), if the clerk at the retail store is offering advice regarding pesticides, the store must:

• Register with the Indiana State Chemist at Purdue as a pesticide consultant;
• Provide training to all employees who provide pesticide selection and use advice;
• Post signs notifying the customer that the customer is ultimately responsible to read and follow the directions on the pesticide label; and
• Post a notice to employees that pesticide selection and use advice may be provided only by employees who have completed the required training.

If you want to find out if your store is registered, ask them or call the Indiana State Chemist at 765-494-1583.

See IKE's broader effort on pesticides for more details.