ORNAMENTAL AND TURF PEST CONTROL EXAM
2026/2027 Actual Exam Complete Questions and
Answers Detailed Rationales Pass Guaranteed - A+
Graded
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 | Pest Identification & Biology | Q1 – Q10
Section 2 | Pesticide Safety & Application | Q11 – Q20
Section 3 | Integrated Pest Management (IPM) | Q21 – Q30
Section 4 | Environmental Protection & Regulations | Q31 – Q40
Section 5 | Turfgrass & Ornamental Plant Health | Q41 – Q50
Instructions: Choose the single best answer. Pass: 80% in 90 minutes.
══════════════════════════════════════
SECTION 1: PEST IDENTIFICATION & BIOLOGY Q1 – Q10
══════════════════════════════════════
Question 1 of 50
A 42-year-old golf course superintendent in Augusta notices irregular brown patches on
fairway bermudagrass during late summer. Upon closer inspection, he finds small, tan
moths flying just above the turf at dusk and sees larvae cutting grass blades at the soil
surface. The larvae have a distinct inverted Y on their head capsule.
A. Fall armyworm
B. Black cutworm
C. Tropical sod webworm ✓ CORRECT
D. Chinch bug
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Tropical sod webworm adults are small tan moths that fly at dusk, and their
larvae feed at the soil surface producing irregular brown patches; the inverted Y on the
,head capsule distinguishes them from other webworms. Fall armyworms also have the
inverted Y but are larger and feed higher on the plant. Superintendents often misidentify
early sod webworm damage as drought stress because the moths are only active at
twilight.
Question 2 of 50
A 38-year-old landscape manager in Orlando examines a row of azaleas and notices
leaves that are stippled, bronzed, and dropping prematurely. On the undersides of leaves
she sees tiny, oval, reddish-brown arachnids and fine silk webbing. The pests are barely
visible to the naked eye.
A. Aphids
B. Whiteflies
C. Two-spotted spider mites ✓ CORRECT
D. Thrips
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Two-spotted spider mites are tiny arachnids that cause stippling and
bronzing on azaleas, produce silk webbing, and are most visible on leaf undersides.
Aphids and whiteflies are insects with different body shapes and do not produce the
fine silk webbing characteristic of mite infestations. Mite populations explode during
hot, dry periods, and many landscapers first notice the damage after the bronzing has
spread across the entire shrub.
Question 3 of 50
A 45-year-old arborist in Charlotte is called to inspect a mature oak with declining
canopy density and small exit holes in the bark. Beneath the bark he finds serpentine
galleries packed with fine sawdust-like frass. The beetle responsible is approximately
3/8 inch long with a dark body and two white spots near the wing tips.
,A. Emerald ash borer
B. Asian longhorned beetle
C. Redbay ambrosia beetle
D. Granulate ambrosia beetle ✓ CORRECT
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The granulate ambrosia beetle (Xylosandrus crassiusculus) creates
serpentine galleries with fine frass and typically attacks stressed oaks; the two pale
spots near the elytral tips are diagnostic. Emerald ash borer attacks only ash trees and
creates D-shaped exit holes. Ambrosia beetles are often misdiagnosed as wood borers
because the damage appears inside the trunk before external symptoms become
obvious.
Question 4 of 50
A 33-year-old lawn care technician in Dallas notices circular patches of dead turf 6 to 12
inches in diameter with bleached, straw-colored grass blades that remain upright. The
patches expand outward in cool, wet spring weather, and he sees white, cottony
mycelium at the patch margins during early morning hours.
A. Brown patch
B. Dollar spot
C. Pythium blight ✓ CORRECT
D. Summer patch
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Pythium blight produces circular dead patches with bleached, upright grass
blades and visible white mycelium during humid mornings in cool, wet conditions.
Brown patch causes similar circular patches but typically produces tan blades that
collapse rather than remain upright, and it occurs in warmer temperatures. Pythium can
destroy a putting green overnight during prolonged dew periods, which is why
superintendents monitor overnight humidity so closely.
, Question 5 of 50
A 50-year-old nursery manager in Portland finds that young rhododendron leaves are
curled, distorted, and sticky with honeydew. She turns over a leaf and sees clusters of
soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects with cornicles protruding from the rear of the
abdomen.
A. Scale insects
B. Mealybugs
C. Aphids ✓ CORRECT
D. Psyllids
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Aphids are soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects with characteristic cornicles on
the abdomen that excrete honeydew and cause leaf curling and distortion on
rhododendrons. Scale insects are immobile and lack cornicles, while mealybugs have
waxy filaments rather than the smooth pear shape. Aphid populations on
rhododendrons often explode in spring when new growth is succulent, and the
honeydew they produce frequently leads to secondary sooty mold outbreaks.
Question 6 of 50
A 36-year-old pest control operator in Phoenix is inspecting a residential lawn and finds
irregular feeding damage on grass blades with notched edges. At night he observes
small, grayish-brown insects approximately 1/2 inch long with enlarged hind legs
jumping away from his flashlight beam.
A. Sod webworm larvae
B. Mole crickets
C. Billbug adults
D. Mormon crickets / Pygmy mole crickets ✓ CORRECT
Correct Answer: D
2026/2027 Actual Exam Complete Questions and
Answers Detailed Rationales Pass Guaranteed - A+
Graded
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 | Pest Identification & Biology | Q1 – Q10
Section 2 | Pesticide Safety & Application | Q11 – Q20
Section 3 | Integrated Pest Management (IPM) | Q21 – Q30
Section 4 | Environmental Protection & Regulations | Q31 – Q40
Section 5 | Turfgrass & Ornamental Plant Health | Q41 – Q50
Instructions: Choose the single best answer. Pass: 80% in 90 minutes.
══════════════════════════════════════
SECTION 1: PEST IDENTIFICATION & BIOLOGY Q1 – Q10
══════════════════════════════════════
Question 1 of 50
A 42-year-old golf course superintendent in Augusta notices irregular brown patches on
fairway bermudagrass during late summer. Upon closer inspection, he finds small, tan
moths flying just above the turf at dusk and sees larvae cutting grass blades at the soil
surface. The larvae have a distinct inverted Y on their head capsule.
A. Fall armyworm
B. Black cutworm
C. Tropical sod webworm ✓ CORRECT
D. Chinch bug
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Tropical sod webworm adults are small tan moths that fly at dusk, and their
larvae feed at the soil surface producing irregular brown patches; the inverted Y on the
,head capsule distinguishes them from other webworms. Fall armyworms also have the
inverted Y but are larger and feed higher on the plant. Superintendents often misidentify
early sod webworm damage as drought stress because the moths are only active at
twilight.
Question 2 of 50
A 38-year-old landscape manager in Orlando examines a row of azaleas and notices
leaves that are stippled, bronzed, and dropping prematurely. On the undersides of leaves
she sees tiny, oval, reddish-brown arachnids and fine silk webbing. The pests are barely
visible to the naked eye.
A. Aphids
B. Whiteflies
C. Two-spotted spider mites ✓ CORRECT
D. Thrips
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Two-spotted spider mites are tiny arachnids that cause stippling and
bronzing on azaleas, produce silk webbing, and are most visible on leaf undersides.
Aphids and whiteflies are insects with different body shapes and do not produce the
fine silk webbing characteristic of mite infestations. Mite populations explode during
hot, dry periods, and many landscapers first notice the damage after the bronzing has
spread across the entire shrub.
Question 3 of 50
A 45-year-old arborist in Charlotte is called to inspect a mature oak with declining
canopy density and small exit holes in the bark. Beneath the bark he finds serpentine
galleries packed with fine sawdust-like frass. The beetle responsible is approximately
3/8 inch long with a dark body and two white spots near the wing tips.
,A. Emerald ash borer
B. Asian longhorned beetle
C. Redbay ambrosia beetle
D. Granulate ambrosia beetle ✓ CORRECT
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The granulate ambrosia beetle (Xylosandrus crassiusculus) creates
serpentine galleries with fine frass and typically attacks stressed oaks; the two pale
spots near the elytral tips are diagnostic. Emerald ash borer attacks only ash trees and
creates D-shaped exit holes. Ambrosia beetles are often misdiagnosed as wood borers
because the damage appears inside the trunk before external symptoms become
obvious.
Question 4 of 50
A 33-year-old lawn care technician in Dallas notices circular patches of dead turf 6 to 12
inches in diameter with bleached, straw-colored grass blades that remain upright. The
patches expand outward in cool, wet spring weather, and he sees white, cottony
mycelium at the patch margins during early morning hours.
A. Brown patch
B. Dollar spot
C. Pythium blight ✓ CORRECT
D. Summer patch
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Pythium blight produces circular dead patches with bleached, upright grass
blades and visible white mycelium during humid mornings in cool, wet conditions.
Brown patch causes similar circular patches but typically produces tan blades that
collapse rather than remain upright, and it occurs in warmer temperatures. Pythium can
destroy a putting green overnight during prolonged dew periods, which is why
superintendents monitor overnight humidity so closely.
, Question 5 of 50
A 50-year-old nursery manager in Portland finds that young rhododendron leaves are
curled, distorted, and sticky with honeydew. She turns over a leaf and sees clusters of
soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects with cornicles protruding from the rear of the
abdomen.
A. Scale insects
B. Mealybugs
C. Aphids ✓ CORRECT
D. Psyllids
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Aphids are soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects with characteristic cornicles on
the abdomen that excrete honeydew and cause leaf curling and distortion on
rhododendrons. Scale insects are immobile and lack cornicles, while mealybugs have
waxy filaments rather than the smooth pear shape. Aphid populations on
rhododendrons often explode in spring when new growth is succulent, and the
honeydew they produce frequently leads to secondary sooty mold outbreaks.
Question 6 of 50
A 36-year-old pest control operator in Phoenix is inspecting a residential lawn and finds
irregular feeding damage on grass blades with notched edges. At night he observes
small, grayish-brown insects approximately 1/2 inch long with enlarged hind legs
jumping away from his flashlight beam.
A. Sod webworm larvae
B. Mole crickets
C. Billbug adults
D. Mormon crickets / Pygmy mole crickets ✓ CORRECT
Correct Answer: D
