CA BRANCH 3 Structural Pest Control Questions and Answers Rated A+

CA BRANCH 3 Structural Pest Control Questions and Answers Rated A+ How can you tell the difference between wood suffering from brown rot and wood suffering from white rot? Wood infested with brown rot typically: • appears dark brown, • shows excessive shrinkage, • develops cross-grain cracking, and • can be crushed easily to form a brownish powder. Wood infested with white rot on the other hand, often: • appears whiter than normal, • shows normal shrinkage, • does not crack across the grain, • is spongy to the touch. What is the difference between the stains caused by stain (sapstain) fungi vs. mold fungi? Sapstain fungi live on the starch in wood cells. These fungi may discolor the sapwood entirely or in patches. This stain is deep within the wood and cannot be removed by brushing or planing. On the other hand, discoloration caused by mold fungi is superficial. This means that you can usually remove the discoloration by brushing or planing. However, on hardwoods with open pores (very large and visible vessels) such as the oaks, the surface molds may cause stains that are too deep to remove easily. How can you distinguish between winged termites and winged ants? Look at their antennae, waists, and wings. Winged termites have straight antennae, thick waists, and wings that are equal in size and shape. Winged ants have bent antennae, narrow waists, and forewings that are larger than the hind wings. Name the four basic castes of termites. Describe the basic function(s) of each caste. Workers - gather food, maintain the galleries, tend the young, and groom the other termites. Soldiers - guard the colony against predators. Primary reproductives - "swarmers" that fly out of their colonies to start new colonies of their own. They are the future kinds and queens of new colonies. Secondary reproductives - supplement egg production in the presence of the king and queen and can take over the egg laying if the queen dies or begins to fail. Do subterranean termites live entirely within wood? Why or why not? No, because they require a constant source of moisture