VIRGINIA COMMERCIAL PESTICIDE
APPLICATORS CORE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Explain the difference between key pests, occasional pests and secondary pests -
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/ -
ANSWER-identify the cause
what should you do first if you discover a pest that may need to be controlled? -
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? - 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 - ANSWER-weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks,
arthropods, and vertebrates.
why do weeds present such a challenge to pest managers? - 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? - 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 - ANSWER-fungi,
bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases - ANSWER-stunting, yellow rings on
leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
how do plant parasitic nematodes harm plants? - 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? - 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? - 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? - 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? - 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? - ANSWER-They suck the plant juices, eat the underside of
leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
what is an economic threshold? - 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? - 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 many
(like a rat in a food processing facility). Thresholds help producers and applicators
weigh the cost of pest control against the cost of a pest infestation
what is monitoring and how is it important to a sound pest control strategy? - ANSWER-
regular checking or scouting for pests in a designated area. Monitoring will tell you what
pests are in an area, how many are in the area, and how much damage they are
causing. it will help determine if the pest population has reached the treatment threshold
and whether control measures have worked.
APPLICATORS CORE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Explain the difference between key pests, occasional pests and secondary pests -
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/ -
ANSWER-identify the cause
what should you do first if you discover a pest that may need to be controlled? -
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? - 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 - ANSWER-weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks,
arthropods, and vertebrates.
why do weeds present such a challenge to pest managers? - 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? - 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 - ANSWER-fungi,
bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases - ANSWER-stunting, yellow rings on
leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
how do plant parasitic nematodes harm plants? - 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? - 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? - 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? - 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? - 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? - ANSWER-They suck the plant juices, eat the underside of
leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
what is an economic threshold? - 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? - 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 many
(like a rat in a food processing facility). Thresholds help producers and applicators
weigh the cost of pest control against the cost of a pest infestation
what is monitoring and how is it important to a sound pest control strategy? - ANSWER-
regular checking or scouting for pests in a designated area. Monitoring will tell you what
pests are in an area, how many are in the area, and how much damage they are
causing. it will help determine if the pest population has reached the treatment threshold
and whether control measures have worked.
