MA Applicator License (Core) Questions And Answers.

MA Applicator License (Core) Questions
And Answers

Pest - (correct answer) -A pest is any living thing that has an undesirable impact on
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something that is important to us.
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Pesticide - (correct answer) -A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances used to
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kill pests or to prevent or reduce the damage pests cause.
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True or false: repellents are pesticides - (correct answer) -True
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Pest control devices - (correct answer) -Products which use purely mechanical or physical
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means to combat pests.
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True or false: if a pest control device is packaged together with a substance that helps
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control the pest (e.g., a trap that lures pests with a chemical attractant), then the
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combination is considered a pesticide product and is therefore subject to pesticide
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regulations. - (correct answer) -True
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Integrated Pest Management (IPM) - (correct answer) -IPM is an approach to pest
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management in which we combine all available necessary techniques into a unified
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program with the goal of managing pest populations in a way that avoids pest damage and
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minimizes adverse effects.
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Pesticide use - (correct answer) -Pesticide use includes other activities as well, including
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the transport and storage of a pesticide after the manufacturer's seal has been broken;
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mixing pesticides; cleaning pesticide equipment; and disposal of pesticides and pesticide
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containers.
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Use - (correct answer) -The term use can also refer to where and how a pesticide can be
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applied.
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Site - (correct answer) -With respect to pesticide application, the term "site" does not
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necessarily mean "location". Rather, it means the particular entity to which a pesticide is or
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could be applied.
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Label - (correct answer) -The label is the information about the product and it's use that is
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printed on or attached to the pesticide container at the time of purchase.
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Labeling - (correct answer) -Labeling includes the label itself plus all other information:
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•referenced on the label, ji ji ji

,•received from the manufacturer about the product when you buy it (such as brochures and ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



leaflets), and/or
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•approved by regulatory agencies regarding the use(s) of the product. ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji




Pesticide labeling gives you instructions on how to use the product legally and correctly.
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Labeled - (correct answer) -The term "labeled" simply means that the use is listed on and
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allowed by the pesticide product label.
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Explain two reasons why you need to follow directions on the label and in other labeling: -
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(correct answer) -1. The label (along with other labeling) provides the information you need
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to use the product as effectively and as safely as possible. Information also includes:
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-name of the product and of the ingredients that control the pest,
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-who makes or distributes the pesticide,
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-Whether or not there are restrictions as to who can purchase/use the pesticide, ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



-information about hazards to human health and the environment, ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



-safety precautions and first aid measures, and ji ji ji ji ji ji



-directions for using the pesticide ji ji ji ji




2. It is against the law to violate directions listed on the label it in other labeling
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Problems that pests can cause - (correct answer) --Structural damage: termites weaken ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



structural wood in houses and other buildings, resulting in unsafe conditions and
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expensive repairs. Wood destroying microorganisms can cause the framing around a
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window or exterior door to rot away.
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-Property damage: clothes moths can ruin materials such as clothes and bedding that are ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



made of natural fibers. Mice can gnaw their way into food cabinets or reduce the
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effectiveness of insulation by using it as nesting material.
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-Food concerns: blackbirds will feast on traps growing in a vineyard. Microorganisms
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cause plant diseases that reduce the yield and/or value of a farmer's crop. Insect pests can
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feed on dried foods such as flour, chocolate chips, or cereals in a kitchen pantry. Weeds
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affect our food supply when they reduce yields by competing with crop plants for water,
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sunlight, and soil nutrients.
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-Health risks: mosquitoes can spread diseases such as West Nile Virus (WNV) and
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Encephalitis (EEE). Houseflies contaminate food with microbes that cause food poisoning
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and dysentery. Mice and rats carry microbes that cause salmonellosis, a form of food
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contamination. Poison ivy and giant hogweed cause irritating and even dangerous skin
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reactions. Pets and farm animals are at risk from fleas, ticks, and biting flies, and from
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microorganisms that produce toxins in stored grain fed to livestock.
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-Risks to the environment: pests can have significant environmental impacts, especially
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when they are accidentally brought into an area for the first time (invasive species). Ex:
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defoliation of forests by gypsy moth caterpillars and disruption of aquatic environments by
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plants that displace the native plants that provide food and shelter to aquatic animals. The
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emerald ash borer and Asian longhorn beetle have recently been introduced into our area
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(MA) and can kill healthy trees.
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, -Reduced aesth ji




Four basic survival needs of pests - (correct answer) -1. Food: insects eat dried food in
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people's homes. Termites eat wood. Etc...
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2. Water: insects such as earwigs often end up inside a home because they were
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searching for water; this is why they are often found near plumbing.
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3. Shelter: carpenter ants hollow out structural wood in buildings not because they eat
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wood, but because they use it as shelter as they rear their young.
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4. Breeding sites: where an organism reproduces can be critical to the survival of the
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young. Wasps build nest under eaves to protect their young from weather and predators.
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Breeding sites often meet several needs of a pest (shelter, food). House flies lay eggs in
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exposed garbage.
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Insect - (correct answer) -Insects are invertebrates (no backbone) and outnumber all other
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animals on earth, so it's not surprising that they are perhaps our biggest pest problem.
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Adult insect characteristics - (correct answer) -Adult insects have three pairs of jointed legs
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for a total of six legs. Adult insects also have three distinct body regions: the head, thorax
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(chest), and abdomen. Each region is covered by a hard, protective "skin" called an
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exoskeleton.
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Head: the insect head bears mouthparts, eyes, and antennae. Mouthparts vary among
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groups of insects and can be a useful way of identifying pests and the type of damage it
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does.
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•Chewing mouthparts have toothed jaws that bite and tear the food. Beetles, cockroaches, ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



ants, and grasshoppers have chewing mouthparts and can cause damage by eating
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plants, tunneling into structural wood, or chewing holes in fabrics.
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•piercing-sucking mouth parts are slender tubes that are forced into plant or animal tissue ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



to suck out fluids or blood. Mosquitoes and aphids have piercing-sucking mouthparts.
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Insects with these mouthparts weaken plants and animals with their feeding, and some
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transmit disease-causing organisms.
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-Sponging mouthparts are tongue-like structures that suck up liquids or food that can be ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



made liquid by the insect's vomit. Many flies (e.g., houseflies) feed this way. These insects
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can contaminate our food by depositing pathogens from their mouthparts as they feed.
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-Siphoning mouthparts are long tubes used for sucking nectar. Butterflies and moths has ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



siphoning mouthparts.
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Antennae: Adult insects have a pair of antennae that provide the sense of smell and touch; ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji ji



insects use them to locate and identify food and mates. Antennae can be useful when
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identifying pests: antennae can be short or long, straight or bent, one or more colors, and
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of many different shapes (e.g., threadlike, saw-like, feathered, clubbed, or beaded).
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Thorax: the thorax, or middle body region, has three pairs of legs and sometimes one or
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two pairs of wings. Legs: Legs features such as length, position, and t
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Pathogens - (correct answer) -Disease causing organisms ji ji ji ji ji ji