Virginia Commercial Pesticide Applicators CORE exam
2023 with complete solution
Explain the difference between key pests, occasional pests and secondary pests
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.
what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or valuable product/
identify the cause
what should you do first if you discover a pest that may need to be controlled?
make sure the pest is actually responsible for the damage. then accurately identify the
pest
how can pest identification help you develop a good pest control strategy?
it allows you to determine basic information about the pest, including its life-cycle and
when it is most susceptible to control measures.
name the 5 basic pest groups
weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks, arthropods, and vertebrates.
why do weeds present such a challenge to pest managers?
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.
how can you tell a monocot from a dicot?
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.
name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal diseases
fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases
stunting, yellow rings on leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
how do plant parasitic nematodes harm plants?
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.
how do mollusks harm plants?
by feeding on foliage and fruit. mollusks reduce the value of commercial produce if they
feed on harvested plants and fruit.
what are arthropods? how do they differ from vertebrates?
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
what is the difference between gradual and complete metamorphosis? why is it
important to know the life cycle stage of an insect?
, 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.
what are beneficial insects? and why are they important to agriculture?
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.
how do mites harm plants?
They suck the plant juices, eat the underside of leaves, and disfigure the plants they
feed on.
what is an economic threshold?
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.
how are thresholds important to a sound pest control strategy?
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
what is monitoring and how is it important to a sound pest control strategy?
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.
what is the difference between prevention, suppression and eradication of a pest?
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.
how could you prevent a pest infestation?
plant weed- and disease- free seed, choose plants resistant to diseases and insects,
and practice good sanitation. other preventative techniques include excluding pests
from the target area and using pre-emergent herbicides to kill weed seeds.
briefly define IPM
Integrated Pest Management is an ecological approach to pest control. it 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 reduce pest populations
to an acceptable level in a way that is practical, cost-effective, and safe for the
environment as well as human health.
Give several reasons to use IPM rather than using only a pesticide.
IPM programs:
1. often ensure better success at the treatment site
2. promote a more balanced ecosystem and are more environmentally friendly
2023 with complete solution
Explain the difference between key pests, occasional pests and secondary pests
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.
what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or valuable product/
identify the cause
what should you do first if you discover a pest that may need to be controlled?
make sure the pest is actually responsible for the damage. then accurately identify the
pest
how can pest identification help you develop a good pest control strategy?
it allows you to determine basic information about the pest, including its life-cycle and
when it is most susceptible to control measures.
name the 5 basic pest groups
weeds, parasites and diseases, mollusks, arthropods, and vertebrates.
why do weeds present such a challenge to pest managers?
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.
how can you tell a monocot from a dicot?
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.
name the pathogens that cause most plant and animal diseases
fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses
what are the symptoms of viral plant diseases
stunting, yellow rings on leaves, wilting, and mosaic patterns
how do plant parasitic nematodes harm plants?
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.
how do mollusks harm plants?
by feeding on foliage and fruit. mollusks reduce the value of commercial produce if they
feed on harvested plants and fruit.
what are arthropods? how do they differ from vertebrates?
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
what is the difference between gradual and complete metamorphosis? why is it
important to know the life cycle stage of an insect?
, 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.
what are beneficial insects? and why are they important to agriculture?
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.
how do mites harm plants?
They suck the plant juices, eat the underside of leaves, and disfigure the plants they
feed on.
what is an economic threshold?
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.
how are thresholds important to a sound pest control strategy?
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
what is monitoring and how is it important to a sound pest control strategy?
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.
what is the difference between prevention, suppression and eradication of a pest?
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.
how could you prevent a pest infestation?
plant weed- and disease- free seed, choose plants resistant to diseases and insects,
and practice good sanitation. other preventative techniques include excluding pests
from the target area and using pre-emergent herbicides to kill weed seeds.
briefly define IPM
Integrated Pest Management is an ecological approach to pest control. it 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 reduce pest populations
to an acceptable level in a way that is practical, cost-effective, and safe for the
environment as well as human health.
Give several reasons to use IPM rather than using only a pesticide.
IPM programs:
1. often ensure better success at the treatment site
2. promote a more balanced ecosystem and are more environmentally friendly
