ACE Integrated Pest Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a rotation crop field, the farmer alternates corn with soybeans each season. How does this practice support IPM?
- It increases pesticide effectiveness by changing target chemistry
- It disrupts pest life cycles by removing the host crop (Correct answer)
- It introduces natural enemies of crop pests
- It reduces soil moisture that pests require
Correct answer: It disrupts pest life cycles by removing the host crop
Crop rotation disrupts the host-pest cycle because pests adapted to one crop do not persist at damaging levels when a non-host crop is planted.
Question 2: Which type of pheromone trap is most commonly used in IPM monitoring programs for Lepidoptera?
- Aggregation pheromone trap
- Sex pheromone (sex attractant) trap (Correct answer)
- Alarm pheromone trap
- Trail pheromone trap
Correct answer: Sex pheromone (sex attractant) trap
Sex pheromone traps attract adult male moths to a lure containing synthetic female sex pheromone, used to monitor adult flight activity and population levels.
Question 3: A pest manager discovers that a population of houseflies is no longer controlled effectively by a pyrethroid that previously worked well. What IPM strategy helps address this situation?
- Increasing the application rate of the same pyrethroid
- Rotating to a pesticide with a different mode of action (Correct answer)
- Switching exclusively to biological control
- Eliminating monitoring to reduce program costs
Correct answer: Rotating to a pesticide with a different mode of action
Rotating pesticides with different modes of action is the standard resistance management strategy, as it prevents selection pressure from accumulating on a single resistance mechanism.
Question 4: What is 'classical biological control'?
- Mass-rearing and releasing commercially available predators
- Introduction of exotic natural enemies from the pest's native range to a new area (Correct answer)
- Conserving naturally occurring predators by reducing pesticide use
- Using parasitic nematodes to control soil-dwelling pests
Correct answer: Introduction of exotic natural enemies from the pest's native range to a new area
Classical biological control involves importing and releasing natural enemies from the pest's area of origin to provide long-term, self-sustaining suppression in the new range.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a physical/mechanical IPM control method for stored product pests?
- Applying a contact insecticide to grain surfaces
- Using modified atmosphere (CO2 or N2) to kill insects in sealed storage (Correct answer)
- Introducing parasitic wasps into grain storage
- Planting resistant grain varieties
Correct answer: Using modified atmosphere (CO2 or N2) to kill insects in sealed storage
Modified atmosphere treatments use elevated CO2 or nitrogen to create an oxygen-deficient environment that kills stored product insects without chemical residues.
Question 6: In urban IPM, 'Integrated Vegetation Management' (IVM) most commonly applies to which setting?
- Indoor ornamental plant management
- Utility rights-of-way and transportation corridors (Correct answer)
- Greenhouse crop production
- Golf course turf management
Correct answer: Utility rights-of-way and transportation corridors
IVM is primarily used along power lines, roadsides, and pipeline rights-of-way to selectively maintain low-growing, stable plant communities that resist pest vegetation.
Question 7: What role does 'record keeping' play in an IPM program?
- It is primarily required for regulatory compliance only
- It provides historical data to evaluate program effectiveness and refine future decisions (Correct answer)
- It allows pest managers to avoid liability for pesticide misapplication
- It is used only when pest populations exceed thresholds
Correct answer: It provides historical data to evaluate program effectiveness and refine future decisions
Records of pest counts, treatments, and outcomes allow managers to analyze trends, evaluate tactic effectiveness, and make data-driven improvements to the IPM program.
ACE Integrated Pest Management 3
In a rotation crop field, the farmer alternates corn with soybeans each season.
How does this practice support IPM?