CH 2: Principles of Pest Control

Question 1

What is a key pest

Answer 1

always present, require regular control

Question 2

What is an occasional pest

Answer 2

are migratory or cyclical, require intermittent control

Question 3

What is a Secondary Pest

Answer 3

require control only under certain conditions, such as elimination of a key pest or the absence of a natural host

Question 4

What is the first step when you see damage to a plant, animal or commodity?

Answer 4

Identify the cause

Question 5

You discover a pest that may need to be controlled, what do you do?

Answer 5

Determine if it is responsible for the damage, then identify the pest

Question 6

How does pest identification help you develop a good pest control strategy

Answer 6

Allows you to determine basic information about the pest including its life cycle and when it is most susceptible to control

Question 7

Name (3) Virginia Tech facilities that can help ID a pest and diagnose an infestation

Answer 7

Weed ID Clinic
Plant Disease Clinic
Nematode Assay Lab
Insect Identification Lab

Question 8

Name (5) basic pest groups

Answer 8

Weeds
Parasites and diseases
mollusks,
arthropods
vertebrates

Question 9

Why are weeds challenging to control?

Answer 9

Hardy, aggressive, tolerant of harsh conditions
Prolific seed spreaders
Seed remains dormant for extended time
Compete for soil moisture, nutrients and sunlight

Question 10

What is a monocot

Answer 10

grass or sedge
have 1 seed leaf
parallel leaf veins
flower parts are in multiples of threes
fibrous roots

Question 11

What is a Dicot

Answer 11

broadleaves
2 seed leaves
netlike veins
flower parts are in multiples of 4 or 5
have taproots

Question 12

Why are perennial weeds harder to control than annual weeds

Answer 12

Perennials live for many years

store food underground in plant parts that are hard to reach and control

Question 13

What pathogens cause most plant and animal diseases

Answer 13

Fungi
bacteria
mycoplasmas
viruses

Question 14

What symptoms do viral plant diseases often cause

Answer 14

stunting, yellow rings on leaves, wilting, mosaic patterns (yellow or bleached streaks)

Question 15

How do parasites harm animals?

Answer 15

host and transmit diseases
reduce weight gain
decrease milk or egg production
interfere with reproduction
lower disease resistance

Question 16

How do plant-parsitic nematodes harm plants

Answer 16

attack the roots stems and leaves
interfere with water and nutrient uptake
Plants wilt

Question 17

How do mollusks harm plants

Answer 17

eat foliage and fruit

Question 18

What are arthropods?

Answer 18

segmented body
jointed appendages
external skeleton
no backbone

Question 19

What is gradual metamorphosis

Answer 19

3 stages:
egg - nymph - adult
no pupa stage

Question 20

What is complete metamorphosis

Answer 20

4 stages
egg - larva- pupa - adult
change in body form
may look different from adult

Question 21

Insect characteristics:

Answer 21

Insects: 3 body parts
1 or 2 pair of wings
3 pair of legs
one pair of antennae

Question 22

Arachnid characteristics:

Answer 22

Arachnids: 2 body parts
zero wings
4 pair of legs
zero antennae

Question 23

What are beneficial insects?

Answer 23

pollinators (bees and butterflies)
pest predators (ladybird beetles, lacewings)

Question 24

How do mites harm plants?

Answer 24

suck plant juices, eat undersides of leaves, disfigure plants

Question 25

Define Vertebrate damage

Answer 25

destroy feed, eat seeds, traffic accidents, compete with livestock, destroy landscapes, feed on domesticated animals

Question 26

How do you control indoor vertebrates

Answer 26

eradication (typically of rodents)

Question 27

How do you control outdoor vertebrates

Answer 27

suppression (coyotes, raccoons, beavers) to an acceptable level

Question 28

Define economic threshold

Answer 28

level where economic losses caused by a pest begins to be greater than the cost of control

Question 29

How are thresholds important

Answer 29

help produces weigh the cost of pest control against the cost of pest infestation

Question 30

Define prevention

Answer 30

reducing the chances that a pest will become a problem

Question 31

Define suppression

Answer 31

reducing pest numbers or damage to an acceptable level

Question 32

Eradication

Answer 32

destroying an entire pest population

Question 33

How to prevent a pest infestation

Answer 33

plant weed and disease free seed, choose plants resistant to disease, practice good sanitation, exclude pests from the target area, use pre-emergent herbicides

Question 34

Define regulatory pest control

Answer 34

done at state or federal level | may involve eradication or quarantines

Question 35

Define Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Answer 35

Ecological approach based on habitat and life cycle of pest Combines chemical and non-chemical methods Goal is to reduce populations to an acceptable level