Pest Identification and Management
Core concepts
Effective pest management rests on correct identification and integrated pest management (IPM). Know the difference between insects, mites, weeds, diseases, and vertebrates, and the life stages that matter (egg, larva/nymph, pupa, adult). Understand economic threshold and action threshold, and how monitoring (scouting, traps, degree-days) drives decisions. IPM combines cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical controls, with chemicals as a last resort. Know key concepts such as resistance management (rotate modes of action), host plant resistance, and beneficial insects. For weeds, distinguish grasses from broadleaves and know the importance of identifying the weed before selecting a herbicide.
Traps to expect
Questions love to test whether you can distinguish a pest from a beneficial or a look-alike. Don't assume every insect is a pest; many are predators or pollinators. Watch for threshold questions: treating below threshold is usually wrong. Resistance questions often hinge on repeated use of the same mode of action - the correct answer is rotation, not higher rates. Also watch for confusion between contact and systemic products when the pest is inside the plant.
Worked example / rule of thumb
Rule of thumb: identify → monitor → compare to threshold → choose the least-risk effective tactic → evaluate. Example: if scouting shows aphids below the economic threshold, the correct action is to continue monitoring, not to spray. If resistance is suspected, rotate to a different mode of action rather than increasing the rate.