1. Pest Identification and Biology: Cockroach species identification (German,
American, Oriental, Brown-banded); ant species and social behavior; termite vs.
carpenter ant damage recognition; stored product pests (Indian meal moth,
beetles); fabric pests (clothes moths, carpet beetles); fly identification (house
fly, blow fly, moth fly, fruit fly); mosquito genera and disease vectors; flea life
cycle and control; tick identification and disease transmission; bed bug biology
and inspection; rodent identification (Norway rat, roof rat, house mouse);
venomous spiders (brown recluse, black widow); stinging insects (wasps,
yellowjackets, hornets, bees).
2. Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Monitoring and inspection techniques;
threshold determination; sanitation and exclusion as primary control; biological
control agents; pheromone traps and sticky monitors; baiting strategies for ants
and cockroaches; resistance management principles; client communication and
education.
3. Pesticide Safety and Label Interpretation: Signal words and toxicity categories;
PPE requirements; restricted-use pesticide regulations in Alabama; FIFRA and
state laws; label sections (directions for use, precautionary statements, storage
and disposal); mixing order and compatibility; re-entry intervals; phytotoxicity
and target vs. non-target concerns.
4. Application Techniques and Equipment: Crack and crevice treatment; spot and
broadcast applications; bait gel placement; dust application in voids; aerosol
and fogging equipment; granular spreaders; calibration procedures; nozzle
selection (fan, cone, flood); equipment maintenance and cleaning.
,5. Environmental Protection and Regulations: Alabama Department of Agriculture
and Industries (ADAI) oversight; recordkeeping requirements; pesticide disposal
and container rinsing; endangered species considerations; water contamination
prevention; application timing relative to weather (wind, rain, temperature).
6. Household Pest Control Practices: German cockroach elimination (sanitation +
baiting + IGRs); bed bug heat treatment and encasements; flea treatment
programs (pupal window); rodent trapping and exclusion; bat exclusion timing
and methods; bird control (pigeons, sparrows, starlings); stored product pest
management; fabric pest prevention.
7. Alabama State Pesticide Laws and Administrative Code: Certification and
licensing requirements; commercial vs. noncommercial applicator categories;
record retention periods; penalties for misuse; worker protection standards.
8. Ethics and Professional Standards: Client confidentiality; honest service
recommendations; avoiding unnecessary applications; proper documentation;
professional conduct on client property.
Alabama HPC Household Pest Control Exam
1. Which cockroach species is most commonly associated with severe indoor
infestations in Alabama homes and requires both sanitation and targeted baiting
for effective control?
A. American cockroach
B. German cockroach
C. Oriental cockroach
,D. Smokybrown cockroach
Answer: B
Rationale: The German cockroach is the most common and difficult indoor
cockroach to control in Alabama, requiring sanitation, harborage elimination, and
baiting because it lives and breeds entirely indoors near food and moisture
sources . 3
2. A technician finds a cockroach with a pale brown band across its body and
wings that do not cover the full abdomen, likely hiding in upper cabinets and
behind pictures. Which species is this?
A. German cockroach
B. Brown-banded cockroach
C. American cockroach
D. Oriental cockroach
Answer: B
Rationale: Brown-banded cockroaches prefer drier, warmer locations and are
often found high in cabinets, behind pictures, and in furniture, unlike German
cockroaches which prefer moisture near floors.
3. When distinguishing between carpenter ant galleries and termite damage,
which characteristic is most reliable for confirming carpenter ant activity?
A. Presence of mud tubes extending from soil
B. Galleries that are clean and sandpapered in appearance
C. Fecal pellets resembling six-sided crystals
D. Wood hollowed out along the grain with layers of chewed wood
, Answer: B
Rationale: Carpenter ant galleries are excavated in wood and appear entirely clean
and sandpapered, whereas termites create mud tubes and messy galleries with
fecal material . 8
4. A homeowner reports small moths flying around the kitchen at dusk, and
larvae are found in a bag of stored flour and cereal. Which pest is most likely
responsible?
A. Clothes moth
B. Indian meal moth
C. Grain moth
D. Mediterranean flour moth
Answer: B
Rationale: The Indian meal moth is a common stored product pest that infests
flour, cereals, and dried goods, with adults active at dusk and larvae producing
webbing in infested food . 3
5. During an inspection of a bedroom, a technician finds small, rusty-colored
blood spots on the mattress seams and tiny dark fecal spots along the box
spring. Which pest should be suspected?
A. Flea
B. Bed bug
C. Carpet beetle
D. Tick
Answer: B
American, Oriental, Brown-banded); ant species and social behavior; termite vs.
carpenter ant damage recognition; stored product pests (Indian meal moth,
beetles); fabric pests (clothes moths, carpet beetles); fly identification (house
fly, blow fly, moth fly, fruit fly); mosquito genera and disease vectors; flea life
cycle and control; tick identification and disease transmission; bed bug biology
and inspection; rodent identification (Norway rat, roof rat, house mouse);
venomous spiders (brown recluse, black widow); stinging insects (wasps,
yellowjackets, hornets, bees).
2. Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Monitoring and inspection techniques;
threshold determination; sanitation and exclusion as primary control; biological
control agents; pheromone traps and sticky monitors; baiting strategies for ants
and cockroaches; resistance management principles; client communication and
education.
3. Pesticide Safety and Label Interpretation: Signal words and toxicity categories;
PPE requirements; restricted-use pesticide regulations in Alabama; FIFRA and
state laws; label sections (directions for use, precautionary statements, storage
and disposal); mixing order and compatibility; re-entry intervals; phytotoxicity
and target vs. non-target concerns.
4. Application Techniques and Equipment: Crack and crevice treatment; spot and
broadcast applications; bait gel placement; dust application in voids; aerosol
and fogging equipment; granular spreaders; calibration procedures; nozzle
selection (fan, cone, flood); equipment maintenance and cleaning.
,5. Environmental Protection and Regulations: Alabama Department of Agriculture
and Industries (ADAI) oversight; recordkeeping requirements; pesticide disposal
and container rinsing; endangered species considerations; water contamination
prevention; application timing relative to weather (wind, rain, temperature).
6. Household Pest Control Practices: German cockroach elimination (sanitation +
baiting + IGRs); bed bug heat treatment and encasements; flea treatment
programs (pupal window); rodent trapping and exclusion; bat exclusion timing
and methods; bird control (pigeons, sparrows, starlings); stored product pest
management; fabric pest prevention.
7. Alabama State Pesticide Laws and Administrative Code: Certification and
licensing requirements; commercial vs. noncommercial applicator categories;
record retention periods; penalties for misuse; worker protection standards.
8. Ethics and Professional Standards: Client confidentiality; honest service
recommendations; avoiding unnecessary applications; proper documentation;
professional conduct on client property.
Alabama HPC Household Pest Control Exam
1. Which cockroach species is most commonly associated with severe indoor
infestations in Alabama homes and requires both sanitation and targeted baiting
for effective control?
A. American cockroach
B. German cockroach
C. Oriental cockroach
,D. Smokybrown cockroach
Answer: B
Rationale: The German cockroach is the most common and difficult indoor
cockroach to control in Alabama, requiring sanitation, harborage elimination, and
baiting because it lives and breeds entirely indoors near food and moisture
sources . 3
2. A technician finds a cockroach with a pale brown band across its body and
wings that do not cover the full abdomen, likely hiding in upper cabinets and
behind pictures. Which species is this?
A. German cockroach
B. Brown-banded cockroach
C. American cockroach
D. Oriental cockroach
Answer: B
Rationale: Brown-banded cockroaches prefer drier, warmer locations and are
often found high in cabinets, behind pictures, and in furniture, unlike German
cockroaches which prefer moisture near floors.
3. When distinguishing between carpenter ant galleries and termite damage,
which characteristic is most reliable for confirming carpenter ant activity?
A. Presence of mud tubes extending from soil
B. Galleries that are clean and sandpapered in appearance
C. Fecal pellets resembling six-sided crystals
D. Wood hollowed out along the grain with layers of chewed wood
, Answer: B
Rationale: Carpenter ant galleries are excavated in wood and appear entirely clean
and sandpapered, whereas termites create mud tubes and messy galleries with
fecal material . 8
4. A homeowner reports small moths flying around the kitchen at dusk, and
larvae are found in a bag of stored flour and cereal. Which pest is most likely
responsible?
A. Clothes moth
B. Indian meal moth
C. Grain moth
D. Mediterranean flour moth
Answer: B
Rationale: The Indian meal moth is a common stored product pest that infests
flour, cereals, and dried goods, with adults active at dusk and larvae producing
webbing in infested food . 3
5. During an inspection of a bedroom, a technician finds small, rusty-colored
blood spots on the mattress seams and tiny dark fecal spots along the box
spring. Which pest should be suspected?
A. Flea
B. Bed bug
C. Carpet beetle
D. Tick
Answer: B
