Virginia Commercial Pesticide Applicators CORE Exam
Questions with Correct Answers
100% Verified Graded A+
1. 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.
2. what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or valuable product/
Answer: identify the cause
3. what should you do first if you discover a pest that may need to be con- trolled?
Answer: make sure the pest is actually responsible for the damage. then accurately identify
the pest
4. 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.
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,5. name the 5 basic pest groups
Answer: weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks, arthro- pods, and vertebrates.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal diseases
Answer: fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
9. what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases
Answer: stunting, yellow rings on leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
10. 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.
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25
, 11. 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.
12. what are arthropods? how do they differ from vertebrates?
Answer: arthropods are animals with segmented bodies and jointed appendages.
Arthropods have an exter- nal skeleton and may have specialized appendages such as sucking
tubes, chewing mouth parts, antennae, and pincers. they have no backbones like
vertebrates
13. 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 meta-
morphosis 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.
14. what are beneficial insects? and why are they important to agriculture?-
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25
Questions with Correct Answers
100% Verified Graded A+
1. 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.
2. what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or valuable product/
Answer: identify the cause
3. what should you do first if you discover a pest that may need to be con- trolled?
Answer: make sure the pest is actually responsible for the damage. then accurately identify
the pest
4. 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.
1/
25
,5. name the 5 basic pest groups
Answer: weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks, arthro- pods, and vertebrates.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal diseases
Answer: fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
9. what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases
Answer: stunting, yellow rings on leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
10. 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.
2/
25
, 11. 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.
12. what are arthropods? how do they differ from vertebrates?
Answer: arthropods are animals with segmented bodies and jointed appendages.
Arthropods have an exter- nal skeleton and may have specialized appendages such as sucking
tubes, chewing mouth parts, antennae, and pincers. they have no backbones like
vertebrates
13. 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 meta-
morphosis 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.
14. what are beneficial insects? and why are they important to agriculture?-
3/
25
