Virginia Commercial Pesticide
Applicators CORE exam Questions and
Answers 100% Pass
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.
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 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: 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.
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
Applicators CORE exam Questions and
Answers 100% Pass
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.
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 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: 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.
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
