VIRGINIA COMMERCIAL PESTICIDE APPLICATORS
CORE EXAM Complete Questions and Guide 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 controlled?-
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.
,5. name the 5 basic pest groups
Answer: weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks, arthropods, 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 suttering from a lack of water or nutrients.
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 external 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 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.
14. 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.
15. how do mites harm plants?
Answer: They suck the plant juices, eat the underside of leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
16. 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
CORE EXAM Complete Questions and Guide 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 controlled?-
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.
,5. name the 5 basic pest groups
Answer: weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks, arthropods, 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 suttering from a lack of water or nutrients.
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 external 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 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.
14. 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.
15. how do mites harm plants?
Answer: They suck the plant juices, eat the underside of leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
16. 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
