CPP CPP Pest Management & Integrated Pest Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the foundational principle of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as applied to landscape plants?
- Apply pesticides on a fixed calendar schedule
- Eradicate all insects found on plants
- Use a combination of cultural, biological, mechanical, and chemical controls to manage pests with minimal environmental impact (Correct answer)
- Rely exclusively on biological controls
Correct answer: Use a combination of cultural, biological, mechanical, and chemical controls to manage pests with minimal environmental impact
IPM combines multiple control strategies to manage pest populations below economic or aesthetic thresholds while minimizing environmental and human health risks.
Question 2: What is an 'action threshold' in an IPM program for landscape plants?
- The maximum pesticide label rate allowed
- The pest population or damage level at which management action becomes necessary (Correct answer)
- The point at which a plant dies from pest damage
- The registration status of a pesticide product
Correct answer: The pest population or damage level at which management action becomes necessary
The action threshold is the pest level at which economic or aesthetic damage justifies implementing a management strategy to prevent further harm.
Question 3: Which category of insects feeds on plant juices by piercing plant tissue and sucking phloem or xylem sap?
- Chewing insects
- Boring insects
- Sucking/piercing insects (Correct answer)
- Leaf miners
Correct answer: Sucking/piercing insects
Sucking/piercing insects such as aphids, scale, and spider mites use specialized mouthparts to extract plant sap, causing wilting, yellowing, and distortion.
Question 4: What is the role of a 'beneficial insect' in a landscape IPM program?
- To pollinate only ornamental flowers
- To serve as a natural enemy that suppresses pest populations (Correct answer)
- To decompose organic matter in the soil
- To indicate soil pH levels
Correct answer: To serve as a natural enemy that suppresses pest populations
Beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitic wasps are natural enemies that suppress pest populations through predation or parasitism.
Question 5: When scouting for pests in a landscape, what is the primary purpose of regular monitoring visits?
- To apply pesticides preventively
- To identify pest species, population levels, and damage before they exceed action thresholds (Correct answer)
- To fertilize plants on a fixed schedule
- To prune dead wood from trees
Correct answer: To identify pest species, population levels, and damage before they exceed action thresholds
Regular scouting allows early detection of pest problems so managers can respond before populations exceed thresholds and cause significant damage.
Question 6: Which pesticide application timing strategy best exploits the vulnerability of a pest's life cycle?
- Apply pesticides only in the fall regardless of pest stage
- Apply pesticides during the most susceptible life stage of the target pest (Correct answer)
- Apply pesticides at the highest labeled rate year-round
- Apply pesticides only after visible plant death
Correct answer: Apply pesticides during the most susceptible life stage of the target pest
Targeting the most susceptible life stage — often crawler stage for scale or early instar larvae for caterpillars — maximizes efficacy and minimizes chemical use.
CPP CPP Pest Management & Integrated Pest Management 1
What is the foundational principle of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as applied to landscape plants?