Pest Identification and Integrated Pest Management
IPM questions test whether you can identify pests correctly and choose a management strategy that combines methods rather than relying on chemicals alone. Know the IPM pyramid: prevention (sanitation, resistant varieties, habitat management), monitoring (scouting, trapping, thresholds), biological control (predators, parasitoids, pathogens), mechanical/physical control, and chemical control as a last resort when thresholds are exceeded. Understand economic threshold and action threshold, and the difference between monitoring and treatment.
In Alaska, candidates should recognize common regional pests and beneficials, and understand that correct identification is the foundation of every decision. Misidentifying a pest leads to the wrong product, the wrong rate, or unnecessary application. Know the concept of resistance management (rotating modes of action) and pest life cycles (targeting the vulnerable stage).
Traps: Treating at the first sign of a pest without a threshold; assuming all insects on a crop are pests; confusing mode of action with site of action; and ignoring beneficial species when choosing a product. Also watch for questions about weed identification (grasses vs. broadleaves) and disease diagnosis (environmental vs. pathogenic causes).
Rule of thumb: Identify first, monitor second, treat only when the threshold is exceeded, and rotate modes of action to slow resistance.
Worked example: A grower sees aphids and wants to spray immediately. Scouting shows aphids below the economic threshold and numerous lady beetles present. The IPM decision is to continue monitoring and avoid a broad-spectrum spray that would kill the predators.