Each year the Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT) Program revises a subset of the 20 pesticide safety training manuals we publish. Manuals are updated to reflect any changes in laws or safety information.
In July 2026, the state regulation governing pesticide use, ATCP 29, changed details regarding the 5.0 Aquatic & Mosquito certification category, which previously covered the use of pesticides for aquatic pests (e.g., plants, fish) as well as adult terrestrial and larval mosquito control. This prompted major revisions to the PAT Program’s 5.0 Aquatic & Mosquito training materials.
The 5.0 Aquatic & Mosquito certification category will be split into two new certification categories: 5.5 Aquatic base category and the 8.0 Mosquito subcategory.
The 5.5 Aquatic base certification category is designed for commercial applicators using pesticides to control aquatic pests (such as algae, aquatic weeds, fish, or mosquito larva in waters of the state).
The 8.0 Mosquito subcategory is for commercial applicators who want to control adult mosquitoes on land or larval mosquitoes in areas not considered waters of the state. This is a subcategory and must be paired with at least one of the following base certification categories:
- 2.0 Forestry
- 3.0 Turf & Landscape
- 5.5 Aquatic
- 6.0 Right-of-Way & Natural Areas
Effective November 30, 2026, the PAT Program will stop selling 5.0 Aquatic & Mosquito print manuals, PDF manuals and online courses due to these certification changes. Applicators who purchase training materials prior to November 30th will be able to take the certification exam until December 31st, 2026. Applicators that become certified prior to the December 31st testing cutoff will maintain certification status until their 5-year expiration.
Effective January 1st, 2027, training materials and certification exams will be offered for the 5.5 Aquatic and 8.0 Mosquito categories, and any applicators who have purchased 5.0 Aquatic & Mosquito training material but have not taken the certification exam must purchase new training materials.
For questions regarding these changes, contact DATCP or the UW PAT Program.
More Information
State of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Email: datcppesticideinfo@wi.gov
Phone: (608) 224-4548
University of Wisconsin Pesticide Applicator Training Program
Email: patprogram@mailplus.wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-7588
