CPA Pest Identification & Control Techniques 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which structural characteristic most reliably distinguishes a termite swarmer from an ant swarmer?
- Termites have a pinched waist and elbowed antennae
- Termites have equal-length wing pairs and a broad waist (Correct answer)
- Termites are always larger than ant swarmers
- Termites have only two wings while ants have four
Correct answer: Termites have equal-length wing pairs and a broad waist
Termite swarmers have two pairs of equal-length wings and a broad, unsegmented waist, whereas ant swarmers have a pinched waist and elbowed antennae.
Question 2: A grower reports yellowing leaves, stunted growth, and finds small, soft-bodied insects clustered on new growth. These insects are most likely:
- Thrips
- Aphids (Correct answer)
- Whiteflies
- Leafhoppers
Correct answer: Aphids
Aphids are soft-bodied, cluster on new growth, and cause yellowing and stunting by extracting plant sap and injecting toxins.
Question 3: The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach prioritizes control methods in which order?
- Chemical, biological, cultural, mechanical
- Biological, mechanical, cultural, chemical
- Prevention and cultural practices first, then biological and chemical as needed (Correct answer)
- Chemical first for rapid knockdown, then biological for long-term control
Correct answer: Prevention and cultural practices first, then biological and chemical as needed
IPM prioritizes prevention and cultural practices, followed by biological and mechanical controls, with chemical pesticides used only as a last resort.
Question 4: Spider mites are best identified under magnification by which feature?
- Six legs and two body segments
- Eight legs, two body segments, and fine webbing (Correct answer)
- Six legs and three body segments
- Eight legs and an exoskeleton with wings
Correct answer: Eight legs, two body segments, and fine webbing
Spider mites are arachnids with eight legs, two body segments (cephalothorax and abdomen), and typically produce fine silk webbing on plant surfaces.
Question 5: Which nematode species is commercially used to control soil-dwelling insect pests such as white grubs?
- Meloidogyne incognita
- Heterodera glycines
- Steinernema carpocapsae (Correct answer)
- Pratylenchus penetrans
Correct answer: Steinernema carpocapsae
Steinernema carpocapsae is an entomopathogenic nematode used as a biological control agent against soil-dwelling insect larvae including white grubs.
Question 6: A pest manager observes irregular holes chewed in leaves at night with slime trails present in the morning. The most likely pest is:
- Cutworm
- Slug or snail (Correct answer)
- Earwig
- Flea beetle
Correct answer: Slug or snail
Slugs and snails feed at night on plant foliage and leave characteristic mucus slime trails, distinguishing them from other chewing pests.
Question 7: What is the primary purpose of using a degree-day model in pest management?
- To calculate pesticide degradation rates in soil
- To predict pest development stages based on accumulated heat units (Correct answer)
- To determine optimal pesticide application temperatures
- To measure pest population density per acre
Correct answer: To predict pest development stages based on accumulated heat units
Degree-day models accumulate heat units above a base temperature to predict when pest species will reach susceptible life stages, allowing timely treatment.
CPA Pest Identification & Control Techniques 2
Which structural characteristic most reliably distinguishes a termite swarmer from an ant swarmer?