VIRGINIA COMMERCIAL PESTICIDE
APPLICATORS CORE EXAMINATION GUIDE
2025 COMPLETE REVIEW HANDBOOK WITH
ACCURATE A+ ANSWERS
◍ 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.
◍ how do mites harm plants? Answer: They suck the plant juices,
eat the underside of leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
◍ 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 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?
Answer: 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? Answer: 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? Answer: 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? Answer: 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) Answer:
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.
Answer: IPM programs:
1. often ensure better success at the treatment site
2. promote a more balanced ecosystem and are more
environmentally friendly
3. are less likely to lead to pesticide resistance and secondary pest
outbreaks
4. may reduce pesticide use and can help protect beneficial insects
5. are often more acceptable to the public.
◍ name at least 5 basic steps in an effective IPM program Answer: 1.
idnetify pest
2. monitor the pest
3. decide whether control is justified
4. determine a pest control goal
5. know what control tactics are available
6. evaluate the benefits and risks of each tactic
7. choose the most effective strategies that will cause the least harm
to people and environment
, 8. use each tactic correctly
9. observe all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
10. record and evaluate results
◍ what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or
valuable product/ Answer: identify the cause
◍ 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
◍ 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.
◍ name the 5 basic pest groups Answer: weeds, parasites and diseases,
mollusks, arthropods, and vertebrates.
◍ 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.
APPLICATORS CORE EXAMINATION GUIDE
2025 COMPLETE REVIEW HANDBOOK WITH
ACCURATE A+ ANSWERS
◍ 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.
◍ how do mites harm plants? Answer: They suck the plant juices,
eat the underside of leaves, and disfigure the plants they feed on.
◍ 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 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?
Answer: 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? Answer: 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? Answer: 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? Answer: 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) Answer:
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.
Answer: IPM programs:
1. often ensure better success at the treatment site
2. promote a more balanced ecosystem and are more
environmentally friendly
3. are less likely to lead to pesticide resistance and secondary pest
outbreaks
4. may reduce pesticide use and can help protect beneficial insects
5. are often more acceptable to the public.
◍ name at least 5 basic steps in an effective IPM program Answer: 1.
idnetify pest
2. monitor the pest
3. decide whether control is justified
4. determine a pest control goal
5. know what control tactics are available
6. evaluate the benefits and risks of each tactic
7. choose the most effective strategies that will cause the least harm
to people and environment
, 8. use each tactic correctly
9. observe all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
10. record and evaluate results
◍ what should you do first if you see damage to a plant, animal, or
valuable product/ Answer: identify the cause
◍ 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
◍ 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.
◍ name the 5 basic pest groups Answer: weeds, parasites and diseases,
mollusks, arthropods, and vertebrates.
◍ 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.
