Integrated Pest Management Flashcards

Which federal law requires pesticide applicators to follow label directions and is fundamental to legal pesticide use in IPM programs?

Answer: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

FIFRA governs pesticide registration, labeling, and use in the United States; the pesticide label is a legal document and applicators must follow it.

In IPM, 'habitat manipulation' as a cultural control refers to:

Answer: Altering the physical environment to make it less favorable for pests or more favorable for natural enemies

Habitat manipulation includes practices like mulch removal, eliminating standing water, or planting insectary plants to disrupt pest habitat or support beneficial insects.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is classified under which IPM control category?

Answer: Autocidal control

SIT is considered autocidal control because it uses the pest species itself (sterile individuals) to suppress or eliminate the wild population.

A turf manager notices localized grub damage in a lawn. An IPM approach would most likely include:

Answer: Spot treatment of affected areas combined with overseeding damaged turf

IPM favors spot treatments targeting the damaged area and supporting turf recovery through overseeding rather than prophylactic broad applications.

Which statement about economic injury levels (EILs) is correct?

Answer: EILs can change based on crop value, control costs, and market conditions

EILs are dynamic calculations that incorporate pest density, crop value, cost of control, and efficacy of control measures, so they shift with economic conditions.

What is the primary advantage of using selective pesticides over broad-spectrum pesticides in an IPM program?

Answer: Selective pesticides minimize harm to natural enemies and non-target organisms

Selective pesticides target specific pest groups while sparing beneficial insects, parasitoids, and predators that contribute to natural pest suppression.

Which of the following scenarios represents 'inundative' augmentative biological control?

Answer: Releasing millions of Trichogramma wasps at each crop generation for immediate pest suppression without expecting establishment

Inundative releases involve flooding the environment with large numbers of natural enemies to achieve immediate, pesticide-like suppression, without relying on the agents to reproduce and persist.