CA BRANCH 3 STRUCTURAL PEST CONTROL
ELITE STUDY GUIDE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
WITH SOLVED SCENARIOS AND DETAILED
ANSWERS 2026 EDITION
◉What is the difference between the stains caused by stain (sapstain)
fungi vs. mold fungi? Answer: 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?
Answer: 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. Answer: 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?
Answer: No, because they require a constant source of moisture to
survive. However, they can live in wood with less than 20% moisture by
getting their moisture from the ground. They transport this moisture
through flattened, earthen shelter tubes that serve as passageways from
the soil to the infested wood.
◉How do subterranean termites most often infest wood in buildings?
Answer: They gain entry through untreated wood that touches or is close
to the ground, particularly at porches, steps, and terraces. They can also
,infest buildings through cracks or voids in foundations or concrete floors
that make it easy for termites to reach wood that is not close to the soil.
◉Describe the frass pellets of drywood termites. Answer: They are
small and cylindrical with six depressions on the sides. These pellets are
unique to drywood termites and are used for identification.
◉Where do drywood termites most often occur? Answer: In southern
Florida, southern California, and along the southern gulf coast of the
United States.
◉Do drywood termites live entirely within wood? Why or why not?
Answer: Yes, because they require little moisture (wood MCs as low as
5%). Unlike subterranean termites, drywood termites have no
connection with the soil.
◉List several ways you can protect wood from termites. Answer: To
protect wood from subterranean termites, you can:
• apply insecticides to the soil around buildings, and
• avoid using wood mulches next to buildings.
, To protect wood from subterranean and drywood termites, you can:
• use physical barriers on foundations, and
• use properly preserved wood, which makes it undesirable as a food
source.
◉Describe the frass of powderpost beetles. Answer: Powderpost beetle
frass appears as a fine wood dust or powder. Slight jarring of infested
wood can cause the frass to sift from holes. This is a sure sign of a
powderpost beetle infestation. In addition, the frass of anobiid beetles
has a distinctive hotdog bun shape.
◉For most wood-boring beetles, what life stage causes the most damage
to wood by boring inside the wood? Answer: The larvae (grub). The
exception is the ambrosia beetle in which the adult bores within the
wood.
◉How do ambrosia beetles damage wood? Answer: They degrade
wood by staining it, by creating numerous entrance holes (pinholes), and
by boring inside the wood.
ELITE STUDY GUIDE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
WITH SOLVED SCENARIOS AND DETAILED
ANSWERS 2026 EDITION
◉What is the difference between the stains caused by stain (sapstain)
fungi vs. mold fungi? Answer: 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?
Answer: 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. Answer: 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?
Answer: No, because they require a constant source of moisture to
survive. However, they can live in wood with less than 20% moisture by
getting their moisture from the ground. They transport this moisture
through flattened, earthen shelter tubes that serve as passageways from
the soil to the infested wood.
◉How do subterranean termites most often infest wood in buildings?
Answer: They gain entry through untreated wood that touches or is close
to the ground, particularly at porches, steps, and terraces. They can also
,infest buildings through cracks or voids in foundations or concrete floors
that make it easy for termites to reach wood that is not close to the soil.
◉Describe the frass pellets of drywood termites. Answer: They are
small and cylindrical with six depressions on the sides. These pellets are
unique to drywood termites and are used for identification.
◉Where do drywood termites most often occur? Answer: In southern
Florida, southern California, and along the southern gulf coast of the
United States.
◉Do drywood termites live entirely within wood? Why or why not?
Answer: Yes, because they require little moisture (wood MCs as low as
5%). Unlike subterranean termites, drywood termites have no
connection with the soil.
◉List several ways you can protect wood from termites. Answer: To
protect wood from subterranean termites, you can:
• apply insecticides to the soil around buildings, and
• avoid using wood mulches next to buildings.
, To protect wood from subterranean and drywood termites, you can:
• use physical barriers on foundations, and
• use properly preserved wood, which makes it undesirable as a food
source.
◉Describe the frass of powderpost beetles. Answer: Powderpost beetle
frass appears as a fine wood dust or powder. Slight jarring of infested
wood can cause the frass to sift from holes. This is a sure sign of a
powderpost beetle infestation. In addition, the frass of anobiid beetles
has a distinctive hotdog bun shape.
◉For most wood-boring beetles, what life stage causes the most damage
to wood by boring inside the wood? Answer: The larvae (grub). The
exception is the ambrosia beetle in which the adult bores within the
wood.
◉How do ambrosia beetles damage wood? Answer: They degrade
wood by staining it, by creating numerous entrance holes (pinholes), and
by boring inside the wood.
