Iowa General and Household Pest Management
Category 7A Latest Update 2024-2025 Actual
Exam 250 Questions and 100% Verified Correct
Answers Guaranteed A+ Verified by Professor
Associate the available monitoring tool(s) for blood-feeding pests. - CORRECT
ANSWER: To search for ticks, people can drag a white sheet over the ground to
observe tick population levels. To quickly observe flea population, walk in rooms for two
minutes each with white socks on and observe any fleas on the socks.
Associate the specific odor produced by crushing an ant body for two common ant
species. - CORRECT ANSWER: Odorous house ant: has a rotten coconut smell when
crushed. The large yellow ant has a citronella or lemon odor when crushed.
Categorize where chemical products are used against cockroaches. - CORRECT
ANSWER: Chemicals placed into or near harborages will have the best results.
Pesticides should not be put on greasy surfaces because their effects are decreased.
Dry areas can be dusted and residual pesticides can be used.
Compare the bumble bee with the carpenter bee. - CORRECT ANSWER: The bumble
bee is larger and fuzzier and are social bees. The carpenter bee is a solitary insect.
Compare: Anticoagulant and non-anticoagulant rodenticides. Food bait and water bait
rodenticides. Detection blocks and tracking powders. - CORRECT ANSWER:
Anticoagulant rodenticides damage blood vessels and clotting mechanisms, Non-
anticoagulant rodenticides don't interfere with the animal's ability to clot blood. Food
baits may be carried off by rodents and placed in areas where they shouldn't be, water
baits are more successful than dry baits because all rodents will consume the water if it
is placed well. Detection blocks simply notify the PMP if and how much rodent activity
there is. Tracking powder allows them to track where the rodent is coming from and
going.
Contrast the adult size and common nest location of: Yellowjacket, Bald-faced hornet,
European hornet, Paper wasp. - CORRECT ANSWER: Yellowjacket: half inch-5/8 inch
,long, nest in trees, shrubs, underground, structural voids, etc. Bald-faced hornet: 5/8-1
in. long, nest in branches, shrubs, utility poles, house siding. European hornet: 1-1 and
3/8 in. long, build paper nests in some type of cavity. Paper wasp: 5/8-3/4 in. long, build
comb nests under eaves of houses, porches, or windows, etc.
Contrast the breeding site preference for: vinegar fly; moth fly; humpback fly; fungus
gnat. - CORRECT ANSWER: Vinegar fly: Lay eggs in overripe or fermenting fruits and
other kitchen waste areas. Moth fly: lay eggs in sewers, drain areas, and overflows on
sinks. Humpbacked flies: lay eggs near moist or decaying organic matter. Fungus gnat:
lay eggs in moist, organic debris or potting soil.
Define avicide - CORRECT ANSWER: pesticides targeting birds.
Define integrated pest management, threshold, harborage, bait. - CORRECT ANSWER:
A systematic approach to pest control that uses all reasonable pest control methods in
an environmentally compatible and economically feasible manner to reduce or eliminate
pest populations. Thresholds mark the highest acceptable point a pest population can
reach without risk of damage to people or the environment. Harborages are locations
where pests seek shelter. Bait is a food or other substance used to attract a pest to a
pesticide or a trap.
Define, thigmotactic; oothecae; gregarious - CORRECT ANSWER: The thigmotactic
response of cockroaches means that they like to be where they can touch surfaces both
above and below them. Oothecae is the term for the bean-shaped egg cases they lay.
Gregarious means that they like to travel in groups.
Define: accidental invader. - CORRECT ANSWER: Pests that may occur in buildings at
some stage of their life cycle but that do not usually complete their entire life cycle within
the structure.
Define: cephalothorax, ballooning - CORRECT ANSWER: The cephalothorax is one of
the two body regions that a spider has (the other being the abdomen). Ballooning is
when a small spider uses silk to have the wind carry it away to a different location.
Define: commensal, omnivores, kinesthetic sense, bait translocation, anticoagulant,
paraffinized bait, secondary hazard. - CORRECT ANSWER: Commensal: meaning that
,the pest is well adjusted for living in close association with humans. Omnivores: animals
that eat both meat and plants (anything). Kinesthetic sense: refers to a rodent's process
of exploring and learning about its environment as a way of ensuring survival. Bait
translocation: moving bait from one area to another. Anticoagulant: act by damaging
blood vessels and inhibiting blood clotting mechanisms.Paraffinized: bait that is made to
not degrade if exposed to moisture. Secondary hazard: refers to the risk that a
nontarget animal may consume a poisoned rodent and cause unwanted effects.
Define: ectoparasite, nit, pediculosis, canine detection. - CORRECT ANSWER:
Ectoparasites: an organism that feeds externally on the outside of its host. Canine
detection: using a dog to find bedbugs. Nits: lice eggs are referred to as nits.
Pediculosis: a skin condition resulting from continuous and sever infestation of lice.
Define: swarm, caste, budding, trophallaxis, petiole, gaster, trail pheromones -
CORRECT ANSWER: A swarm happens when male ants fly out and mate with females
in the air. There are 3 castes in ant social order: queens, workers, and males. Budding
is when a queen mates within the nest and then takes some ants and starts a new
colony. Trophallaxis is when worker ants take food back to the nest to share with others.
The petiole is the "waist"of the ant. The large part of the abdomen is called the gaster.
Trail pheromones are chemical trails that worker ants leave so other ants can find the
food source.
Describe how pest management is affected by landscaping. - CORRECT ANSWER:
Landscaping may force rodents into areas where they aren't wanted.
Describe the general life cycle of flies. - CORRECT ANSWER: Egg -> maggots ->
pupae -> adult
Describe the human health concerns for rodent infestation. - CORRECT ANSWER:
Many rodents are capable of carrying several diseases that can make humans very sick
or die.
Describe the nonchemical control tools that can be used against cockroaches. -
CORRECT ANSWER: Heat (120 degrees Fahrenheit) will kill cockroaches. A vacuum
can be used to remove roaches but a HEPA filter must be used. Sticky traps and glue
boards can also be helpful
, Describe the social order within ant colonies. - CORRECT ANSWER: The most
important ant is the queen ant who creates all the other ants in the colony. The worker
ants are all sterile females and they perform tasks like foraging for food and protecting
the colony. The final caste of ants are the males which are only produced shortly before
a period of mating.
Describe the social structure within honey bee hives. - CORRECT ANSWER: Honey
bees have three castes: Queen, drones, and sterile workers.
Determine the common food source of wasps. - CORRECT ANSWER: Wasps feed on
other insects and fruit nectar.
Differentiate between the deer mouse and the meadow vole. - CORRECT ANSWER:
Deer mice have a grayish brown coat on top with white undersides and white feet.
Meadow voles have a dull, yellowish brown above with a gray underside.
Differentiate three common ticks - CORRECT ANSWER: Deer tick: feeds on various
sizes of animals, important vector for Lyme disease. Brown dog tick: most common tick
found indoors, primary host is dog for all feeding stages. American dog tick: also known
as the wood tick, principal vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, commonly
encountered by campers and hikers.
Differentiate three lice species associated with humans. - CORRECT ANSWER: Head
louse: not vectors of disease, spread by head-to-head contact. Body louse: transmitted
by contaminated clothing or shared bedding, vector for several dieases. Pubic louse:
transmitted during sexual contact
Discuss choice of insecticide and application site for ant management. - CORRECT
ANSWER: Liquid baits should be designed so that ants won't fall in and drown. Gel
baits should be placed directly into a station or applied directly onto a surface. Granular
baits should be placed around an ant nest but not on or in it because of bait rejection.
