Virginia Commercial Pesticide Applicators CORE Exam
Questions with Verified Answers
Explain the difference between key pests, occasional
pests and secondary pests - ANSWER -Key pests what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases -
are nearly always present and require regular control. ANSWER -stunting, yellow rings on leaves, wilting,
occasional pests are migratory or cyclical and require and mosaic patterns
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. how do plant parasitic nematodes harm plants? -
ANSWER -by attacking the roots, stems and leaves.
nematode root feeding interferes with a plants ability to
what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, take up water and nutrients. infected plants wilt and seem
animal, or valuable product/ - ANSWER -identify the to be suffering from a lack of water or nutrients.
cause
how do mollusks harm plants? - ANSWER -by
what should you do first if you discover a pest that may feeding on foliage and fruit. mollusks reduce the value of
need to be controlled? - ANSWER -make sure the commercial produce if they feed on harvested plants and
pest is actually responsible for the damage. then fruit.
accurately identify the pest
what are arthropods? how do they differ from vertebrates?
how can pest identification help you develop a good pest - ANSWER -arthropods are animals with segmented
control strategy? - ANSWER -it allows you to bodies and jointed appendages. Arthropods have an
determine basic information about the pest, including its external skeleton and may have specialized appendages
life-cycle and when it is most susceptible to control such as sucking tubes, chewing mouth parts, antennae,
measures. and pincers. they have no backbones like vertebrates
name the 5 basic pest groups - ANSWER -weeds, what is the difference between gradual and complete
parasites and diseases, mollusks, arthropods, and metamorphosis? why is it important to know the life cycle
vertebrates. stage of an insect? - ANSWER -gradual
metamorphosis includes 3 stages: egg, nymph and adult.
there is no pupa stage. complete metamorphosis includes
why do weeds present such a challenge to pest 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. insects that develop
managers? - ANSWER -weeds are often hardy, via complete metamorphosis change body form. larvae
aggressive, and tolerant of harsh conditions. many may not look at all like adults within the same species.it is
produce large numbers of seeds which can spread over a very important to recognize the damaging stage for best
wide area and remain dormant for a long time. treatment results. many insect are pests in one stage but
not another. especially larval form.
how can you tell a monocot from a dicot? -
ANSWER -monocots (sedges and grasses) have what are beneficial insects? and why are they important to
one cotyledon, parallel leaf veins, flower parts in multiples agriculture? - ANSWER -insects that are pollinators
of 3 and fibrous roots. Dicots have 2 cotyledons, broad (bees and butterflies) or pest predators (ladybeetles and
leaves with netted veination, and flower parts in multiples lacewings). with out pollinators many types of plants could
of 4 and 5 and usually have taproots. not reproduce and beneficial predators feed on harmful
insects, mites, and weeds.
name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal
diseases - ANSWER -fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, how do mites harm plants? - ANSWER -They suck
and viruses the plant juices, eat the underside of leaves, and disfigure
the plants they feed on.
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, Virginia Commercial Pesticide Applicators CORE Exam
Questions with Verified Answers
reduce pest populations to an acceptable level in a way
that is practical, cost-effective, and safe for the
what is an economic threshold? - ANSWER -the environment as well as human health.
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 Give several reasons to use IPM rather than using only a
economic threshold usually prompts some kind of pest pesticide. - ANSWER -IPM programs:
control action.
1. often ensure better success at the treatment site
2. promote a more balanced ecosystem and are more
how are thresholds important to a sound pest control environmentally friendly
strategy? - ANSWER -setting a treatment or action 3. are less likely to lead to pesticide resistance and
threshold is essential to prevent the pests in an area from secondary pest outbreaks
causing unacceptable injury or harm. action thresholds 4. may reduce pesticide use and can help protect
vary: sometimes one pest is too many (like a rat in a food beneficial insects
processing facility). Thresholds help producers and 5. are often more acceptable to the public.
applicators weigh the cost of pest control against the cost
of a pest infestation
name at least 5 basic steps in an effective IPM program -
ANSWER -1. idnetify pest
what is monitoring and how is it important to a sound pest 2. monitor the pest
control strategy? - ANSWER -regular checking or 3. decide whether control is justified
scouting for pests in a designated area. Monitoring will tell 4. determine a pest control goal
you what pests are in an area, how many are in the area, 5. know what control tactics are available
and how much damage they are causing. it will help 6. evaluate the benefits and risks of each tactic
determine if the pest population has reached the 7. choose the most effective strategies that will cause the
treatment threshold and whether control measures have least harm to people and environment
worked. 8. use each tactic correctly
9. observe all applicable local, state, and federal
regulations.
what is the difference between prevention, suppression 10. record and evaluate results
and eradication of a pest? - ANSWER -prevention
means reducing the chances that a pest will become a
problem. suppression means reducing pest numbers or name 5 IPM elements - ANSWER -host resistance
damage to an acceptable level. Eradication means biological control
destroying an entire pest population. cultural control
mechanical and physical control
and chemical control
how could you prevent a pest infestation? -
ANSWER -plant weed- and disease- free seed,
choose plants resistant to diseases and insects, and what is host resistance? - ANSWER -the ability of a
practice good sanitation. other preventative techniques plant to withstand pests
include excluding pests from the target area and using
pre-emergent herbicides to kill weed seeds.
what is biological control? - ANSWER -the use of
living organisms to control pests. these may be natural
briefly define IPM - ANSWER -Integrated Pest enemies or biologically altering the pest (releasing sterile
Management is an ecological approach to pest control. it males into pest population)
is based on the habitat and life-cycle of the pest. IPM
combines chemical and nonchemical methods into a
single plan or strategy. the goal of an IPM program is to what is cultural control? - ANSWER -changing the
2/7
Questions with Verified Answers
Explain the difference between key pests, occasional
pests and secondary pests - ANSWER -Key pests what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases -
are nearly always present and require regular control. ANSWER -stunting, yellow rings on leaves, wilting,
occasional pests are migratory or cyclical and require and mosaic patterns
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. how do plant parasitic nematodes harm plants? -
ANSWER -by attacking the roots, stems and leaves.
nematode root feeding interferes with a plants ability to
what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, take up water and nutrients. infected plants wilt and seem
animal, or valuable product/ - ANSWER -identify the to be suffering from a lack of water or nutrients.
cause
how do mollusks harm plants? - ANSWER -by
what should you do first if you discover a pest that may feeding on foliage and fruit. mollusks reduce the value of
need to be controlled? - ANSWER -make sure the commercial produce if they feed on harvested plants and
pest is actually responsible for the damage. then fruit.
accurately identify the pest
what are arthropods? how do they differ from vertebrates?
how can pest identification help you develop a good pest - ANSWER -arthropods are animals with segmented
control strategy? - ANSWER -it allows you to bodies and jointed appendages. Arthropods have an
determine basic information about the pest, including its external skeleton and may have specialized appendages
life-cycle and when it is most susceptible to control such as sucking tubes, chewing mouth parts, antennae,
measures. and pincers. they have no backbones like vertebrates
name the 5 basic pest groups - ANSWER -weeds, what is the difference between gradual and complete
parasites and diseases, mollusks, arthropods, and metamorphosis? why is it important to know the life cycle
vertebrates. stage of an insect? - ANSWER -gradual
metamorphosis includes 3 stages: egg, nymph and adult.
there is no pupa stage. complete metamorphosis includes
why do weeds present such a challenge to pest 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. insects that develop
managers? - ANSWER -weeds are often hardy, via complete metamorphosis change body form. larvae
aggressive, and tolerant of harsh conditions. many may not look at all like adults within the same species.it is
produce large numbers of seeds which can spread over a very important to recognize the damaging stage for best
wide area and remain dormant for a long time. treatment results. many insect are pests in one stage but
not another. especially larval form.
how can you tell a monocot from a dicot? -
ANSWER -monocots (sedges and grasses) have what are beneficial insects? and why are they important to
one cotyledon, parallel leaf veins, flower parts in multiples agriculture? - ANSWER -insects that are pollinators
of 3 and fibrous roots. Dicots have 2 cotyledons, broad (bees and butterflies) or pest predators (ladybeetles and
leaves with netted veination, and flower parts in multiples lacewings). with out pollinators many types of plants could
of 4 and 5 and usually have taproots. not reproduce and beneficial predators feed on harmful
insects, mites, and weeds.
name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal
diseases - ANSWER -fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, how do mites harm plants? - ANSWER -They suck
and viruses the plant juices, eat the underside of leaves, and disfigure
the plants they feed on.
1/7
, Virginia Commercial Pesticide Applicators CORE Exam
Questions with Verified Answers
reduce pest populations to an acceptable level in a way
that is practical, cost-effective, and safe for the
what is an economic threshold? - ANSWER -the environment as well as human health.
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 Give several reasons to use IPM rather than using only a
economic threshold usually prompts some kind of pest pesticide. - ANSWER -IPM programs:
control action.
1. often ensure better success at the treatment site
2. promote a more balanced ecosystem and are more
how are thresholds important to a sound pest control environmentally friendly
strategy? - ANSWER -setting a treatment or action 3. are less likely to lead to pesticide resistance and
threshold is essential to prevent the pests in an area from secondary pest outbreaks
causing unacceptable injury or harm. action thresholds 4. may reduce pesticide use and can help protect
vary: sometimes one pest is too many (like a rat in a food beneficial insects
processing facility). Thresholds help producers and 5. are often more acceptable to the public.
applicators weigh the cost of pest control against the cost
of a pest infestation
name at least 5 basic steps in an effective IPM program -
ANSWER -1. idnetify pest
what is monitoring and how is it important to a sound pest 2. monitor the pest
control strategy? - ANSWER -regular checking or 3. decide whether control is justified
scouting for pests in a designated area. Monitoring will tell 4. determine a pest control goal
you what pests are in an area, how many are in the area, 5. know what control tactics are available
and how much damage they are causing. it will help 6. evaluate the benefits and risks of each tactic
determine if the pest population has reached the 7. choose the most effective strategies that will cause the
treatment threshold and whether control measures have least harm to people and environment
worked. 8. use each tactic correctly
9. observe all applicable local, state, and federal
regulations.
what is the difference between prevention, suppression 10. record and evaluate results
and eradication of a pest? - ANSWER -prevention
means reducing the chances that a pest will become a
problem. suppression means reducing pest numbers or name 5 IPM elements - ANSWER -host resistance
damage to an acceptable level. Eradication means biological control
destroying an entire pest population. cultural control
mechanical and physical control
and chemical control
how could you prevent a pest infestation? -
ANSWER -plant weed- and disease- free seed,
choose plants resistant to diseases and insects, and what is host resistance? - ANSWER -the ability of a
practice good sanitation. other preventative techniques plant to withstand pests
include excluding pests from the target area and using
pre-emergent herbicides to kill weed seeds.
what is biological control? - ANSWER -the use of
living organisms to control pests. these may be natural
briefly define IPM - ANSWER -Integrated Pest enemies or biologically altering the pest (releasing sterile
Management is an ecological approach to pest control. it males into pest population)
is based on the habitat and life-cycle of the pest. IPM
combines chemical and nonchemical methods into a
single plan or strategy. the goal of an IPM program is to what is cultural control? - ANSWER -changing the
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