ACE Integrated Pest Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which IPM concept refers to the pest population level at which control action must be taken to prevent economic damage?
- Economic injury level
- Action threshold (Correct answer)
- Damage threshold
- Tolerance level
Correct answer: Action threshold
The action threshold (also called economic threshold) is the pest density at which management action should be initiated to prevent reaching the economic injury level.
Question 2: In IPM, what is the primary purpose of pest monitoring?
- To schedule routine pesticide applications
- To determine pest species identity, population density, and distribution (Correct answer)
- To eliminate all pests from a given area
- To document pesticide resistance patterns
Correct answer: To determine pest species identity, population density, and distribution
Monitoring provides data on pest identity, numbers, and location needed to make informed management decisions.
Question 3: Which biological control strategy involves releasing large numbers of natural enemies to suppress a pest population temporarily?
- Classical biological control
- Conservation biological control
- Augmentative biological control (Correct answer)
- Inoculative biological control
Correct answer: Augmentative biological control
Augmentative biological control involves mass releases of natural enemies, either inundatively (for immediate knockdown) or inoculatively (to establish a reproducing population).
Question 4: A pest management professional is treating a restaurant for German cockroaches using gel bait. Placing bait in cracks and voids near food preparation areas is an example of which IPM principle?
- Pesticide rotation to delay resistance
- Targeted application to reduce non-target exposure (Correct answer)
- Biological augmentation
- Cultural control through sanitation
Correct answer: Targeted application to reduce non-target exposure
Targeted placement of gel bait in harborage areas minimizes pesticide exposure to non-target organisms and food surfaces while maximizing efficacy.
Question 5: What does 'pest exclusion' refer to in structural IPM?
- Removing pest harborage sites inside a structure
- Using pheromone traps to detect pest entry points
- Sealing entry points to prevent pests from entering a building (Correct answer)
- Chemically treating the perimeter of a structure
Correct answer: Sealing entry points to prevent pests from entering a building
Exclusion involves sealing gaps, cracks, and openings to physically prevent pest entry, a key structural IPM tactic.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'pest suppression' versus 'pest eradication' in IPM?
- Suppression eliminates all pests; eradication reduces populations below damaging levels
- Suppression reduces pest populations to acceptable levels; eradication eliminates the pest entirely (Correct answer)
- Suppression uses only biological methods; eradication uses only chemical methods
- Suppression is temporary; eradication is achieved through habitat modification
Correct answer: Suppression reduces pest populations to acceptable levels; eradication eliminates the pest entirely
IPM typically aims for suppression—keeping pests below economic or nuisance thresholds—rather than complete eradication, which is rarely practical or necessary.
Question 7: When developing an IPM program, what is the significance of pest identification to the species level?
- It determines which pesticide label can be used
- It allows accurate assessment of pest biology, behavior, and appropriate control tactics (Correct answer)
- It is required by federal law for all pest management operations
- It determines the economic injury level for the pest
Correct answer: It allows accurate assessment of pest biology, behavior, and appropriate control tactics
Accurate species identification is critical because pest biology, life cycle, behavior, and susceptibility to control methods vary significantly between species.
ACE Integrated Pest Management 2
Which IPM concept refers to the pest population level at which control action must be taken to prevent economic damage?