Virginia Commercial Pesticide
Applicators CORE exam
Explain the difference between key pests, occasional pests and secondary pests -
CORRECT ANSWER-Key pests are nearly always present and require regular control.
occasional pests are migratory or cyclical and require intermittent control. secondary
pests require control only under certain conditions, such as the elimination of a key pest
or the absence of a natural host.
what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or valuable product/ -
CORRECT ANSWER-identify the cause
what should you do first if you discover a pest that may need to be controlled? -
CORRECT ANSWER-make sure the pest is actually responsible for the damage. then
accurately identify the pest
how can pest identification help you develop a good pest control strategy? - CORRECT
ANSWER-it allows you to determine basic information about the pest, including its life-
cycle and when it is most susceptible to control measures.
name the 5 basic pest groups - CORRECT ANSWER-weeds, parasites and diseases,
mollusks, arthropods, and vertebrates.
why do weeds present such a challenge to pest managers? - CORRECT ANSWER-
weeds are often hardy, aggressive, and tolerant of harsh conditions. many produce
large numbers of seeds which can spread over a wide area and remain dormant for a
long time.
how can you tell a monocot from a dicot? - CORRECT ANSWER-monocots (sedges
and grasses) have one cotyledon, parallel leaf veins, flower parts in multiples of 3 and
fibrous roots. Dicots have 2 cotyledons, broad leaves with netted veination, and flower
parts in multiples of 4 and 5 and usually have taproots.
, name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal diseases - CORRECT
ANSWER-fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases - CORRECT ANSWER-stunting, yellow
rings on leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
how do plant parasitic nematodes harm plants? - CORRECT ANSWER-by attacking the
roots, stems and leaves. nematode root feeding interferes with a plants ability to take up
water and nutrients. infected plants wilt and seem to be suffering from a lack of water or
nutrients.
how do mollusks harm plants? - CORRECT ANSWER-by feeding on foliage and fruit.
mollusks reduce the value of commercial produce if they feed on harvested plants and
fruit.
what are arthropods? how do they differ from vertebrates? - CORRECT ANSWER-
arthropods are animals with segmented bodies and jointed appendages. Arthropods
have an external skeleton and may have specialized appendages such as sucking
tubes, chewing mouth parts, antennae, and pincers. they have no backbones like
vertebrates
what is the difference between gradual and complete metamorphosis? why is it
important to know the life cycle stage of an insect? - CORRECT ANSWER-gradual
metamorphosis includes 3 stages: egg, nymph and adult. there is no pupa stage.
complete metamorphosis includes 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. insects that
develop via complete metamorphosis change body form. larvae may not look at all like
adults within the same species.it is very important to recognize the damaging stage for
best treatment results. many insect are pests in one stage but not another. especially
larval form.
what are beneficial insects? and why are they important to agriculture? - CORRECT
ANSWER-insects that are pollinators (bees and butterflies) or pest predators
(ladybeetles and lacewings). with out pollinators many types of plants could not
reproduce and beneficial predators feed on harmful insects, mites, and weeds.
how do mites harm plants? - CORRECT ANSWER-They suck the plant juices, eat the
underside of leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
what is an economic threshold? - CORRECT ANSWER-the level at which economic
losses caused by pest damage, if the pest population continued to grow, would be
greater than the cost of controlling the pests. reaching an economic threshold usually
prompts some kind of pest control action.
how are thresholds important to a sound pest control strategy? - CORRECT ANSWER-
setting a treatment or action threshold is essential to prevent the pests in an area from
causing unacceptable injury or harm. action thresholds vary: sometimes one pest is too
Applicators CORE exam
Explain the difference between key pests, occasional pests and secondary pests -
CORRECT ANSWER-Key pests are nearly always present and require regular control.
occasional pests are migratory or cyclical and require intermittent control. secondary
pests require control only under certain conditions, such as the elimination of a key pest
or the absence of a natural host.
what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or valuable product/ -
CORRECT ANSWER-identify the cause
what should you do first if you discover a pest that may need to be controlled? -
CORRECT ANSWER-make sure the pest is actually responsible for the damage. then
accurately identify the pest
how can pest identification help you develop a good pest control strategy? - CORRECT
ANSWER-it allows you to determine basic information about the pest, including its life-
cycle and when it is most susceptible to control measures.
name the 5 basic pest groups - CORRECT ANSWER-weeds, parasites and diseases,
mollusks, arthropods, and vertebrates.
why do weeds present such a challenge to pest managers? - CORRECT ANSWER-
weeds are often hardy, aggressive, and tolerant of harsh conditions. many produce
large numbers of seeds which can spread over a wide area and remain dormant for a
long time.
how can you tell a monocot from a dicot? - CORRECT ANSWER-monocots (sedges
and grasses) have one cotyledon, parallel leaf veins, flower parts in multiples of 3 and
fibrous roots. Dicots have 2 cotyledons, broad leaves with netted veination, and flower
parts in multiples of 4 and 5 and usually have taproots.
, name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal diseases - CORRECT
ANSWER-fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases - CORRECT ANSWER-stunting, yellow
rings on leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
how do plant parasitic nematodes harm plants? - CORRECT ANSWER-by attacking the
roots, stems and leaves. nematode root feeding interferes with a plants ability to take up
water and nutrients. infected plants wilt and seem to be suffering from a lack of water or
nutrients.
how do mollusks harm plants? - CORRECT ANSWER-by feeding on foliage and fruit.
mollusks reduce the value of commercial produce if they feed on harvested plants and
fruit.
what are arthropods? how do they differ from vertebrates? - CORRECT ANSWER-
arthropods are animals with segmented bodies and jointed appendages. Arthropods
have an external skeleton and may have specialized appendages such as sucking
tubes, chewing mouth parts, antennae, and pincers. they have no backbones like
vertebrates
what is the difference between gradual and complete metamorphosis? why is it
important to know the life cycle stage of an insect? - CORRECT ANSWER-gradual
metamorphosis includes 3 stages: egg, nymph and adult. there is no pupa stage.
complete metamorphosis includes 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. insects that
develop via complete metamorphosis change body form. larvae may not look at all like
adults within the same species.it is very important to recognize the damaging stage for
best treatment results. many insect are pests in one stage but not another. especially
larval form.
what are beneficial insects? and why are they important to agriculture? - CORRECT
ANSWER-insects that are pollinators (bees and butterflies) or pest predators
(ladybeetles and lacewings). with out pollinators many types of plants could not
reproduce and beneficial predators feed on harmful insects, mites, and weeds.
how do mites harm plants? - CORRECT ANSWER-They suck the plant juices, eat the
underside of leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
what is an economic threshold? - CORRECT ANSWER-the level at which economic
losses caused by pest damage, if the pest population continued to grow, would be
greater than the cost of controlling the pests. reaching an economic threshold usually
prompts some kind of pest control action.
how are thresholds important to a sound pest control strategy? - CORRECT ANSWER-
setting a treatment or action threshold is essential to prevent the pests in an area from
causing unacceptable injury or harm. action thresholds vary: sometimes one pest is too
