Division

Consumer Protection Services

Consumer Protection Services strives to provide consumers and the Oklahoma agriculture and urban communities with the highest level of service possible including ensuring and enforcing quality standards for agricultural products, regulating pesticide use, providing information and technical assistance to consumers. The laws regulated by this division impact the goods and services associated with Oklahoma’s apiary, ag-lime, ornamental plant, vegetable plant, feed, seed, fertilizer, pesticide, ethanol, nursery, grain, hemp, scrap metal, and weights and measures industries.

Benefits of European Honey Bees

Honey bees are a vital part of modern agriculture in the United States and the world. They are responsible for pollinating a wide variety of crops, fruits and vegetables. Modern honey bees are named the European Honey Bee because they were brought over to the United States by European settlers in the 1600’s. Below are some important contributions of EHB.

Produce about 4 million pounds of beeswax
Produce bee pollen, bee venom, royal jelly, etc.
Pollinate greater than 90 cultivated crops with an estimated value of $20 billion
Contribution from pollination effects every third bite of food consumed

Rules and Regulations

Beekeepers List

Organizations/Groups

Protecting Bees

Sensitive Crop Viewer

Africanized Honey Bees

Facts about Africanized Bees

The Africanized Honey Bee is a hybrid of one of the several European Honey Bee subspecies (Apis mellifera mellifera, A.m.carnica, A.m.caucasia, or A.m.linguica) and the African Honey Bee (Apis mellifera scutellata). The hybrid is virtually indistinguishable in the field from the European Honey Bee (EHB). The AHB will set up colonies in the same areas as the EHB and will also nest close to or in the ground. The most noticeable difference between the two types of bees is that AHB is extremely aggressive in defense of the colony. At any perceived threat, bees can “swarm” out of the colony and attack, stinging in large numbers, sometimes in the hundreds.

Some people are allergic to bee stings. If you start swelling or have trouble breathing, see a doctor. If you are stung multiple times, see a doctor.

Confirmed Africanized Honey Bees Counties

Avoid Bees

Bee Control

Certified Pest Control Operators that Respond to Bee Calls

Educational

Safety

Meter Reader Safety Committee AHB Page

USDA

Weights and Measures

The purpose of the Weights and Measures program is to protect consumers and businesses by ensuring that commercial weighing and measuring devices are serviced properly and perform within acceptable tolerances. Package commodities are inspected for net quantity, method of sale, proper labeling, and that the correct price is charged. Field personnel perform inspections which ensure consumer protection while providing a standard for private industry.

All scrap metal dealers are required to obtain a license from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. A scrap metal dealer is defined as: “Any person, firm or corporation who is a retailer or wholesale business which buys, sells, salvages, processes, or otherwise handles scrap metal materials”. To obtain a license each applicant submit a completed application with the appropriate fees, pass a national criminal background check, and provide proof of the following:

Legal proof of ownership, lease agreement or contract for the business location;
Proof of a dedicated telephone line for the business location;
Proof of general liability insurance policy of not less than $500,000 for the business location;
Proof of a current discharge permit issued pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Act;
Photo ID;
Two (2) full sets of fingerprints on the cards provided. To obtain your fingerprints take the cards provided to your local police or sheriff’s department and have them assist you. You will need to submit both cards with the application. (The Department will submit them to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) for processing).

The license is good for one year, effective November 1st through October 31st of each calendar year. The total application fee is $241. This includes $100 for the initial application, $100 investigative fee, and $41 for the national criminal background check. Please Contact Gary Smith, to receive an Application.

Consumer Protection Services
2800 N. Lincoln Blvd

Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Fax: (405) 522-0625

Mailing Address:
Consumer Protection Services
PO Box 528804
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-8804

Kenny Naylor; Director, (405) 522-5879
- kenny.naylor@ag.ok.gov

ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT

Micki Smithee; Administrative Officer, (405) 522-5879
- Micki.Smithee@ag.ok.gov

CPS OFFICE STAFF

Aaron Elam; Assistant Director, (405) 522-5976
- Aaron.Elam@ag.ok.gov
Ryan Williams; Assistant Director, (405) 522-5993
- ryan.williams@ag.ok.gov

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS

Caroline Vesper; Hemp, Restricted Use Pesticide Dealers Licensing, and Apiary Program, (405) 522-5974
- Caroline.Vesper@ag.ok.gov
Chengcheng Tan; Environmental Program and Pesticide Registration, (405) 522-5477
- Chengcheng.Tan@ag.ok.gov
Cody Walls; Feed Program, (405) 522-5891
- Dakota.walls@ag.ok.gov
Joshua Maples; Fertilizer Program, (405) 522-4057
- Joshua.maples@ag.ok.gov
Kaci Hubbell; Nursery Program, (405) 522-5971
- Kaci.Hubbell@ag.ok.gov
Megan Parker; Pesticide Certification & Training Administrator, (405) 522-5972
- Megan.Parker@ag.ok.gov
Dray Williams; Pesticide Complaints Program, (405) 522-5981
- damardray.williams@ag.ok.gov
Gary Smith; Weights and Measures and Scrap Metal Program, (405) 522-5968
- Gary.Smith@ag.ok.gov

Tori Gillispie; Seed Program, (405) 522-5452
- tori.gillispie@ag.ok.gov

PROGRAM SUPPORT STAFF

Shandra Morton; Feed Program, (405) 522-5894
- ShandraR.Morton@ag.ok.gov
Mary Ricciotti; Nursery and Phytosanitary Certificates, (405) 522-5953
- Mary.Ricciotti@ag.ok.gov
Debbie Mandrell; Pesticide CEU’s, (405) 522-5949
- Debbie.Mandrell@ag.ok.gov
Heather Saintamour; Pesticide Certified Applicators and Private Applicators, (405) 522-5950
- Heather.Saintamour@ag.ok.gov
Shalonda Ligons; Pesticide Business Licensing, (405) 522-5984
- Shalonda.Ligons@ag.ok.gov
Josh Rigdon; Pesticide Registration, (405) 522-3063
- Joshua.rigdon@ag.ok.gov
Krystal Newell; Fertilizer and Weights and Measures Program, (405) 522-5985
- krystal.newell@ag.ok.gov
Sonja Braxton; APO 1-Hemp, Pesticide, Seed, & Apiary, (405) 522-5989
- Sonja.Braxton@ag.ok.gov

OTHER PROGRAMS

Joe Rackley; Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey Coordinator, (405) 205-2709
- Joe.Rackley@ag.ok.gov
Joe Privett; Grain Warehouse Examiner, (405) 850-8570
- Joe.Privett@ag.ok.gov

OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION