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VIRGINIA COMMERCIAL PESTICIDE APPLICATORS CORE
EXAM COMPLETE 500 QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE THIS YEAR
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: how do mites harm plants? - ANSWER-They suck the plant juices, eat the underside
of leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
QUESTION: 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.
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QUESTION: 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
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: what is the difference between prevention, suppression and eradication of a pest? -
ANSWER-prevention means reducing the chances that a pest will become a problem.
suppression means reducing pest numbers or damage to an acceptable level. Eradication
means destroying an entire pest population.
QUESTION: how could you prevent a pest infestation? - ANSWER-plant weed- and disease- free
seed, choose plants resistant to diseases and insects, and practice good sanitation. other
preventative techniques include excluding pests from the target area and using pre-emergent
herbicides to kill weed seeds.
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
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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.
QUESTION: what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or valuable product/ -
ANSWER-identify the cause
QUESTION: 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
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: name the 5 basic pest groups - ANSWER-weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks,
arthropods, and vertebrates.
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: 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
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have 2 cotyledons, broad leaves with netted veination, and flower parts in multiples of 4 and 5
and usually have taproots.
QUESTION: name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal diseases - ANSWER-fungi,
bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
QUESTION: what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases - ANSWER-stunting, yellow rings on
leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: 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
QUESTION: briefly define IPM (integrated pest management) - ANSWER-Integrated Pest
Management is an ecological approach to pest control. it is based on the habitat and life-cycle
VIRGINIA COMMERCIAL PESTICIDE APPLICATORS CORE
EXAM COMPLETE 500 QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE THIS YEAR
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: how do mites harm plants? - ANSWER-They suck the plant juices, eat the underside
of leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
QUESTION: 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.
, Page 2 of 121
QUESTION: 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
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: what is the difference between prevention, suppression and eradication of a pest? -
ANSWER-prevention means reducing the chances that a pest will become a problem.
suppression means reducing pest numbers or damage to an acceptable level. Eradication
means destroying an entire pest population.
QUESTION: how could you prevent a pest infestation? - ANSWER-plant weed- and disease- free
seed, choose plants resistant to diseases and insects, and practice good sanitation. other
preventative techniques include excluding pests from the target area and using pre-emergent
herbicides to kill weed seeds.
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
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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.
QUESTION: what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or valuable product/ -
ANSWER-identify the cause
QUESTION: 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
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: name the 5 basic pest groups - ANSWER-weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks,
arthropods, and vertebrates.
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: 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
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have 2 cotyledons, broad leaves with netted veination, and flower parts in multiples of 4 and 5
and usually have taproots.
QUESTION: name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal diseases - ANSWER-fungi,
bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
QUESTION: what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases - ANSWER-stunting, yellow rings on
leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: 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.
QUESTION: 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
QUESTION: briefly define IPM (integrated pest management) - ANSWER-Integrated Pest
Management is an ecological approach to pest control. it is based on the habitat and life-cycle
