Virginia Commercial Pesticide
Applicators CORE exam 2026 Questions
and Answers
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.
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,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.
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, 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
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
Applicators CORE exam 2026 Questions
and Answers
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.
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,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.
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, 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
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
