VIRGINIA COMMERCIAL PESTICIDE
APPLICATORS CORE EXAM
Explain6the6difference6between6key6pests,6occasional6pests6and6secondary6pests6-6ans--
Key6pests6are6nearly6always6present6and6require6regular6control.6occasional6pests6are6m
igratory6or6cyclical6and6require6intermittent6control.6secondary6pests6require6control6only6
under6certain6conditions,6such6as6the6elimination6of6a6key6pest6or6the6absence6of6a6natur
al6host.
what6should6you6do6first6if6you6see6damage6to6a6plant,6animal,6or6valuable6product/6-
6ans--identify 6the6cause
what6should6you6do6first6if6you6discover6a6pest6that6may6need6to6be6controlled?6-6ans--
make6sure6the6pest6is6actually6responsible6for6the6damage.6then6accurately6identify6the6p
est
how6can6pest6identification6help6you6develop6a6good6pest6control6strategy?6-6ans--
it6allows6you6to6determine6basic6information6about6the6pest,6including6its6life-
cycle6and6when6it6is6most6susceptible6to6control6measures.
name6the656basic6pest6groups6-6ans--
weeds,6parasites6and6diseases,6mollusks,6arthropods,6and6vertebrates.
why6do6weeds6present6such6a6challenge6to6pest6managers?6-6ans--
weeds6are6often6hardy,6aggressive,6and6tolerant6of6harsh6conditions.6many6produce6larg
e6numbers6of6seeds6which6can6spread6over6a6wide6area6and6remain6dormant6for6a6long6t
ime.
how6can6you6tell6a6monocot6from6a6dicot?6-6ans--
monocots6(sedges6and6grasses)6have6one6cotyledon,6parallel6leaf6veins,6flower6parts6in6
multiples6of636and6fibrous6roots.6Dicots6have626cotyledons,6broad6leaves6with6netted6vein
ation,6and6flower6parts6in6multiples6of646and656and6usually6have6taproots.
name6the6pathogens6that6cause6most6plant6and6animal6diseases6-6ans--
fungi,6bacteria,6mycoplasma,6and6viruses
what6are6the6symptoms6of6viral6plant6diseases6-6ans--
stunting,6yellow6rings6on6leaves,6wilting,6and6mosaic6patterns
how6do6plant6parasitic6nematodes6harm6plants?6-6ans--
by6attacking6the6roots,6stems6and6leaves.6nematode6root6feeding6interferes6with6a6plants
, 6ability6to6take6up6water6and6nutrients.6infected6plants6wilt6and6seem6to6be6suffering6from6
a6lack6of6water6or6nutrients.
how6do6mollusks6harm6plants?6-6ans--
by6feeding6on6foliage6and6fruit.6mollusks6reduce6the6value6of6commercial6produce6if6they6
feed6on6harvested6plants6and6fruit.
what6are6arthropods?6how6do6they6differ6from6vertebrates?6-6ans--
arthropods6are6animals6with6segmented6bodies6and6jointed6appendages.6Arthropods6ha
ve6an6external6skeleton6and6may6have6specialized6appendages6such6as6sucking6tubes,6
chewing6mouth6parts,6antennae,6and6pincers.6they6have6no6backbones6like6vertebrates
what6is6the6difference6between6gradual6and6complete6metamorphosis?
6why6is6it6important6to6know6the6life6cycle6stage6of6an6insect?6-6ans--
gradual6metamorphosis6includes636stages:6egg,6nymph6and6adult.6there6is6no6pupa6stag
e.6complete6metamorphosis6includes646stages:6egg,6larva,6pupa,6and6adult.6insects6that6
develop6via6complete6metamorphosis6change6body6form.6larvae6may6not6look6at6all6like6
adults6within6the6same6species.it6is6very6important6to6recognize6the6damaging6stage6for6
best6treatment6results.6many6insect6are6pests6in6one6stage6but6not6another.6especially6lar
val6form.
what6are6beneficial6insects?6and6why6are6they6important6to6agriculture?6-6ans--
insects6that6are6pollinators6(bees6and6butterflies)6or6pest6predators6(ladybeetles6and6lace
wings).6with6out6pollinators6many6types6of6plants6could6not6reproduce6and6beneficial6pre
dators6feed6on6harmful6insects,6mites,6and6weeds.
how6do6mites6harm6plants?6-6ans--
They6suck6the6plant6juices,6eat6the6underside6of6leaves,6and6disfigure6the6plants6they6fee
d6on.
what6is6an6economic6threshold?6-6ans--
the6level6at6which6economic6losses6caused6by6pest6damage,6if6the6pest6population6contin
ued6to6grow,6would6be6greater6than6the6cost6of6controlling6the6pests.6reaching6an6econo
mic6threshold6usually6prompts6some6kind6of6pest6control6action.
how6are6thresholds6important6to6a6sound6pest6control6strategy?6-6ans--
setting6a6treatment6or6action6threshold6is6essential6to6prevent6the6pests6in6an6area6from6c
ausing6unacceptable6injury6or6harm.6action6thresholds6vary:6sometimes6one6pest6is6too6
many6(like6a6rat6in6a6food6processing6facility).6Thresholds6help6producers6and6applicators
6weigh6the6cost6of6pest6control6against6the6cost6of6a6pest6infestation
what6is6monitoring6and6how6is6it6important6to6a6sound6pest6control6strategy?6-6ans--
regular6checking6or6scouting6for6pests6in6a6designated6area.6Monitoring6will6tell6you6what6
pests6are6in6an6area,6how6many6are6in6the6area,6and6how6much6damage6they6are6causin
g.6it6will6help6determine6if6the6pest6population6has6reached6the6treatment6threshold6and6
whether6control6measures6have6worked.
APPLICATORS CORE EXAM
Explain6the6difference6between6key6pests,6occasional6pests6and6secondary6pests6-6ans--
Key6pests6are6nearly6always6present6and6require6regular6control.6occasional6pests6are6m
igratory6or6cyclical6and6require6intermittent6control.6secondary6pests6require6control6only6
under6certain6conditions,6such6as6the6elimination6of6a6key6pest6or6the6absence6of6a6natur
al6host.
what6should6you6do6first6if6you6see6damage6to6a6plant,6animal,6or6valuable6product/6-
6ans--identify 6the6cause
what6should6you6do6first6if6you6discover6a6pest6that6may6need6to6be6controlled?6-6ans--
make6sure6the6pest6is6actually6responsible6for6the6damage.6then6accurately6identify6the6p
est
how6can6pest6identification6help6you6develop6a6good6pest6control6strategy?6-6ans--
it6allows6you6to6determine6basic6information6about6the6pest,6including6its6life-
cycle6and6when6it6is6most6susceptible6to6control6measures.
name6the656basic6pest6groups6-6ans--
weeds,6parasites6and6diseases,6mollusks,6arthropods,6and6vertebrates.
why6do6weeds6present6such6a6challenge6to6pest6managers?6-6ans--
weeds6are6often6hardy,6aggressive,6and6tolerant6of6harsh6conditions.6many6produce6larg
e6numbers6of6seeds6which6can6spread6over6a6wide6area6and6remain6dormant6for6a6long6t
ime.
how6can6you6tell6a6monocot6from6a6dicot?6-6ans--
monocots6(sedges6and6grasses)6have6one6cotyledon,6parallel6leaf6veins,6flower6parts6in6
multiples6of636and6fibrous6roots.6Dicots6have626cotyledons,6broad6leaves6with6netted6vein
ation,6and6flower6parts6in6multiples6of646and656and6usually6have6taproots.
name6the6pathogens6that6cause6most6plant6and6animal6diseases6-6ans--
fungi,6bacteria,6mycoplasma,6and6viruses
what6are6the6symptoms6of6viral6plant6diseases6-6ans--
stunting,6yellow6rings6on6leaves,6wilting,6and6mosaic6patterns
how6do6plant6parasitic6nematodes6harm6plants?6-6ans--
by6attacking6the6roots,6stems6and6leaves.6nematode6root6feeding6interferes6with6a6plants
, 6ability6to6take6up6water6and6nutrients.6infected6plants6wilt6and6seem6to6be6suffering6from6
a6lack6of6water6or6nutrients.
how6do6mollusks6harm6plants?6-6ans--
by6feeding6on6foliage6and6fruit.6mollusks6reduce6the6value6of6commercial6produce6if6they6
feed6on6harvested6plants6and6fruit.
what6are6arthropods?6how6do6they6differ6from6vertebrates?6-6ans--
arthropods6are6animals6with6segmented6bodies6and6jointed6appendages.6Arthropods6ha
ve6an6external6skeleton6and6may6have6specialized6appendages6such6as6sucking6tubes,6
chewing6mouth6parts,6antennae,6and6pincers.6they6have6no6backbones6like6vertebrates
what6is6the6difference6between6gradual6and6complete6metamorphosis?
6why6is6it6important6to6know6the6life6cycle6stage6of6an6insect?6-6ans--
gradual6metamorphosis6includes636stages:6egg,6nymph6and6adult.6there6is6no6pupa6stag
e.6complete6metamorphosis6includes646stages:6egg,6larva,6pupa,6and6adult.6insects6that6
develop6via6complete6metamorphosis6change6body6form.6larvae6may6not6look6at6all6like6
adults6within6the6same6species.it6is6very6important6to6recognize6the6damaging6stage6for6
best6treatment6results.6many6insect6are6pests6in6one6stage6but6not6another.6especially6lar
val6form.
what6are6beneficial6insects?6and6why6are6they6important6to6agriculture?6-6ans--
insects6that6are6pollinators6(bees6and6butterflies)6or6pest6predators6(ladybeetles6and6lace
wings).6with6out6pollinators6many6types6of6plants6could6not6reproduce6and6beneficial6pre
dators6feed6on6harmful6insects,6mites,6and6weeds.
how6do6mites6harm6plants?6-6ans--
They6suck6the6plant6juices,6eat6the6underside6of6leaves,6and6disfigure6the6plants6they6fee
d6on.
what6is6an6economic6threshold?6-6ans--
the6level6at6which6economic6losses6caused6by6pest6damage,6if6the6pest6population6contin
ued6to6grow,6would6be6greater6than6the6cost6of6controlling6the6pests.6reaching6an6econo
mic6threshold6usually6prompts6some6kind6of6pest6control6action.
how6are6thresholds6important6to6a6sound6pest6control6strategy?6-6ans--
setting6a6treatment6or6action6threshold6is6essential6to6prevent6the6pests6in6an6area6from6c
ausing6unacceptable6injury6or6harm.6action6thresholds6vary:6sometimes6one6pest6is6too6
many6(like6a6rat6in6a6food6processing6facility).6Thresholds6help6producers6and6applicators
6weigh6the6cost6of6pest6control6against6the6cost6of6a6pest6infestation
what6is6monitoring6and6how6is6it6important6to6a6sound6pest6control6strategy?6-6ans--
regular6checking6or6scouting6for6pests6in6a6designated6area.6Monitoring6will6tell6you6what6
pests6are6in6an6area,6how6many6are6in6the6area,6and6how6much6damage6they6are6causin
g.6it6will6help6determine6if6the6pest6population6has6reached6the6treatment6threshold6and6
whether6control6measures6have6worked.
