NYS PCO NYS PCO Professional Level Exam 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, what should generally be the FIRST step when a customer reports a pest problem?
- Inspect, monitor, and correctly identify the pest (Correct answer)
- Apply a broad-spectrum insecticide immediately
- Fumigate the entire structure
- Set the maximum number of rodenticide bait stations allowed
Correct answer: Inspect, monitor, and correctly identify the pest
IPM begins with inspection and accurate pest identification so control measures target the actual problem.
Question 2: A treatment threshold in IPM is best defined as what?
- The pest population level at which control action should be taken (Correct answer)
- The maximum pesticide dose allowed by the label
- The temperature at which pesticides break down
- The number of visits allowed per service contract
Correct answer: The pest population level at which control action should be taken
Thresholds define when pest numbers or damage justify intervention rather than continued monitoring.
Question 3: German cockroach infestations persist in a restaurant despite repeated baiting. Which non-chemical measure would most improve control?
- Improving sanitation and eliminating food, water, and harborage (Correct answer)
- Doubling the bait application rate beyond label directions
- Switching to outdoor perimeter sprays only
- Releasing predatory insects inside the kitchen
Correct answer: Improving sanitation and eliminating food, water, and harborage
Sanitation removes competing food sources and harborage, which is essential for bait acceptance and long-term control.
Question 4: Which finding during an inspection is the strongest evidence of an active subterranean termite infestation?
- Fresh mud shelter tubes containing live workers (Correct answer)
- Old abandoned carpenter ant frass
- Small piles of sawdust near a saw bench
- Discarded cicada exoskeletons on siding
Correct answer: Fresh mud shelter tubes containing live workers
Live workers in intact mud tubes confirm current subterranean termite activity rather than a past infestation.
Question 5: When placing rodenticide bait outdoors for Norway rats, the label typically requires bait to be placed in what manner?
- Inside tamper-resistant bait stations secured against access by children, pets, and non-target wildlife (Correct answer)
- Loose along fence lines for maximum uptake
- Scattered broadcast over the lawn
- In open trays near bird feeders
Correct answer: Inside tamper-resistant bait stations secured against access by children, pets, and non-target wildlife
Tamper-resistant stations protect non-targets and are required by most rodenticide labels for outdoor placements.
Question 6: A pesticide that controls pests only when they eat treated material is classified as which type?
- Stomach poison (Correct answer)
- Contact poison
- Fumigant
- Systemic repellent
Correct answer: Stomach poison
Stomach poisons must be ingested by the pest to be effective, as with many baits.
Question 7: Repeated use of the same insecticide class against a pest population is most likely to cause which problem?
- Development of insecticide resistance (Correct answer)
- Immediate elimination of all pest species
- Improved bait acceptance over time
- Permanent soil sterilization
Correct answer: Development of insecticide resistance
Continuous selection pressure from one mode of action allows resistant individuals to survive and dominate the population.
NYS PCO NYS PCO Professional Level Exam 4
In an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, what should generally be the FIRST step when a customer reports a pest problem?