MASSACHUSETTS PESTICIDE APPLICATOR CORE EXAM ELABORATED AND VERIFIED ANSWERS

MASSACHUSETTS PESTICIDE APPLICATOR CORE EXAM ELABORATED AND VERIFIED ANSWERS Pest - A pest is any living thing that has an undesirable impact on something that is important to us. Pesticide - A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances used to kill pests or to prevent or reduce the damage pests cause. True or false: repellents are pesticides - True Pest control devices - Products which use purely mechanical or physical means to combat pests. True or false: if a pest control device is packaged together with a substance that helps control the pest (e.g., a trap that lures pests with a chemical attractant), then the combination is considered a pesticide product and is therefore subject to pesticide regulations. - True Integrated Pest Management (IPM) - IPM is an approach to pest management in which we combine all available necessary techniques into a unified program with the goal of managing pest populations in a way that avoids pest damage and minimizes adverse effects. Pesticide use - Pesticide use includes other activities as well, including the transport and storage of a pesticide after the manufacturer's seal has been broken; mixing pesticides; cleaning pesticide equipment; and disposal of pesticides and pesticide containers. Use - The term use can also refer to where and how a pesticide can be applied. Site - With respect to pesticide application, the term "site" does not necessarily mean "location". Rather, it means the particular entity to which a pesticide is or could be applied. Label - The label is the information about the product and it's use that is printed on or attached to the pesticide container at the time of purchase. Labeling - Labeling includes the label itself plus all other information: •referenced on the label, •received from the manufacturer about the product when you buy it (such as brochures and leaflets), and/or •approved by regulatory agencies regarding the use(s) of the product. Pesticide labeling gives you instructions on how to use the product legally and correctly. Labeled - The term "labeled" simply means that the use is listed on and allowed by the pesticide product label. Explain two reasons why you need to follow directions on the label and in other labeling: - 1. The label (along with other labeling) provides the information you need to use the product as effectively and as safely as possible. Information also includes: -name of the product and of the ingredients that control the pest, -who makes or distributes the pesticide, -Whether or not there are restrictions as to who can purchase/use the pesticide, -information about hazards to human health and the environment, -safety precautions and first aid measures, and -directions for using the pesticide 2. It is against the law to violate directions listed on the label it in other labeling Problems that pests can cause - -Structural damage: termites weaken structural wood in houses and other buildings, resulting in unsafe conditions and expensive repairs. Wood destroying microorganisms can cause the framing around a window or exterior door to rot away. -Property damage: clothes moths can ruin materials such as clothes and bedding that are made of natural fibers. Mice can gnaw their way into food cabinets or reduce the effectiveness of insulation by using it as nesting material. -Food concerns: blackbirds will feast on traps growing in a vineyard. Microorganisms cause plant diseases that reduce the yield and/or value of a farmer's crop. Insect pests can feed on dried foods such as flour, chocolate chips, or cereals in a kitchen pantry. Weeds affect our food supply when they reduce yields by competing with crop plants for water, sunlight, and soil nutrients. -Health risks: mosquitoes can spread diseases such as West Nile Virus (WNV) and Encephalitis (EEE). Houseflies contaminate food with microbes that cause food poisoning and dysentery. Mice and rats carry microbes that cause salmonellosis, a form of food contamination. Poison ivy and giant hogweed cause irritating and even dangerous skin reactions. Pets and farm animals are at risk from fleas, ticks, and biting flies, and from microorganisms that produce toxins in stored grain fed to livestock. -Risks to the environment: pests can have significant environmental impacts, especially when they are accidentally brought into an area for the first time (invasive species). Ex: defoliation of forests by gypsy moth caterpillars and disruption of aquatic environments by plants that displace the native plants that provide food and shelter to aquatic animals. The emerald ash borer and Asian longhorn beetle have recently been introduced into our area (MA) and can kill healthy trees. -Reduced aesth Four basic survival needs of pests - 1. Food: insects eat dried food in people's homes. Termites eat wood. Etc... 2. Water: insects such as earwigs often end up inside a home because they were searching for water; this is why they are often found near plumbing. 3. Shelter: carpenter ants hollow out structural wood in buildings not because they eat wood, but because they use it as shelter as they rear their young. 4. Breeding sites: where an organism reproduces can be critical to the survival of the young. Wasps build nest under eaves to protect their young from weather and predators. Breeding sites often meet several needs of a pest (shelter, food). House flies lay eggs in exposed garbage. Insect - Insects are invertebrates (no backbone) and outnumber all other animals on earth, so it's not surprising that they are perhaps our biggest pest problem. Adult insect characteristics - Adult insects have three pairs of jointed legs for a total of six legs. Adult insects also have three distinct body regions: the head, thorax (chest), and abdomen. Each region is covered by a hard, protective "skin" called an exoskeleton. Head: the insect head bears mouthparts, eyes, and antennae. Mouthparts vary among groups of insects and can be a useful way of identifying pests and the type of damage it does. •Chewing mouthparts have toothed jaws that bite and tear the food. Beetles, cockroaches, ants, and grasshoppers have chewing mouthparts and can cause damage by eating plants, tunneling into structural wood, or chewing holes in fabrics. •piercing-sucking mouth parts are slender tubes that are forced into plant or animal tissue to suck out fluids or blood. Mosquitoes and aphids have piercing-sucking mouthparts. Insects with these mouthparts weaken plants and animals with their feeding, and some transmit disease-causing organisms. -Sponging mouthparts are tongue-like structures that suck up liquids or food that can be made liquid by the insect's vomit. Many flies (e.g., houseflies) feed this way. These insects can contaminate our food by depositing pathogens from their mouthparts as they feed. -Siphoning mouthparts are long tubes used for sucking nectar. Butterflies and moths has siphoning mouthparts. Antennae: Adult insects have a pair of antennae that provide the sense of smell and touch; insects use them to locate and identify food and mates. Antennae can be useful when identifying pests: antennae can be short or long, straight or bent, one or more colors, and of many different shapes (e.g., threadlike, saw-like, feathered, clubbed, or beaded). Thorax: the thorax, or middle body region, has three pairs of legs and sometimes one or two pairs of wings. Legs: Legs features such as length, position, and t Pathogens - Disease causing organisms Vectors - Animals that spread disease causing organisms while feeding. Mosquitoes are vectors of pathogens that cause malaria. metamorphosis - In most insects, there is a notable change as the young insect develops into an adult. Instar - Stage between molts No metamorphosis - With few insects, including silverfish, firebrats, and springtails, there is almost no change except in size as the insect develops. The life stages are referred to as egg, young, and adult. Adults do not have wings. Gradual metamorphosis - Insects pass through three stages of development: egg, nymph, and adult. Wings (if any) develop gradually during each instar and are fully developed only in the adult stage. Insects that pass through gradual metamorphosis include cockroaches, grasshoppers, termites, and aphids. Nymph - Nymphs resemble small adults in form and feeding behavior and live in the same environment. Undergo multiple instars. Complete metamorphosis - There are four stages of development during complete metamorphosis: egg, larva (with multiple instars) pupa, and adult. Insects that pass through complete metamorphosis include beetles, moths, flies, ants, fleas, and wasps.