Chapter 1: Pest Management Study Guide

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the fundamental concepts of pest management, control methods, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) based on the Chapter 1 study guide.

Pest

An undesirable organism that injures humans, desirable plants/animals, manufactured products, or natural substances.

Pathogen

A disease-causing organism such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, or nematodes.

Biomagnification

The increase in concentration of a chemical as it moves up the food chain.

Tiny amounts of DDT in water → algae → zooplankton → fish → birds.
Top predators end up with the highest concentration.

Bioaccumulation

When chemicals build up inside an organism’s tissues over time.

Weeds

Undesirable plants, such as Canada thistle.

Invertebrates

Animals without backbones, including insects, mites, ticks, spiders, snails, and slugs.

Vertebrates

Animals with backbones, including birds, rodents, deer, fish, and mammals.

Biological Control

Using natural enemies like predators, parasites, and pathogens to control pests and restore natural balance.

Chemical Control

Using pesticides to control pests.

Pesticide

A chemical used to kill, repel, attract, or regulate pests.

Herbicide

A type of pesticide used to control weeds.

Insecticide

A type of pesticide used to control insects.

Fungicide

A type of pesticide used to control fungi.

Rodenticide

A type of pesticide used to control rodents.

Miticide

A type of pesticide used to control mites.

Molluscicide

A type of pesticide used to control slugs and snails.

Nematicide

A type of pesticide used to control nematodes.

Systemic Pesticides

Pesticides absorbed into the plant or animal and moved internally.

Contact Pesticides

Pesticides that must directly touch the pest to work.

Persistence

How long a pesticide remains active.

Selective Pesticides

Pesticides that kill only certain pests.

Nonselective Pesticides

Pesticides that kill many different organisms.

Cultural Control

Practices like crop rotation, irrigation management, and mowing that reduce pest survival and reproduction.

Sanitation

A cultural control method involving the removal of food, water, or shelter pests need, such as removing trash or draining standing water.

Genetic Control

Using resistant plant or animal varieties, such as Bt corn or herbicide-resistant crops.

Mechanical/Physical Control

Physically removing or blocking pests using traps, barriers, screens, fences, or sealing cracks.

Regulatory Control

Government laws and programs such as quarantines, inspections, and eradication programs that prevent pest spread.

Quarantine

A regulatory method used to prevent pests from entering or spreading to an area.

Eradication

The complete elimination of a pest from an area.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

A pest management strategy that combines many control methods to keep pests below damaging levels while reducing environmental harm.

Economic Threshold (ET)

The pest population level where action should begin to prevent economic damage; it is set below the EIL.

Economic Injury Level (EIL)

The pest population level where the cost of damage equals the cost of control.

Action Threshold

The pest level where specific action must be taken.

Prevention

A management goal of stopping pests before they become a problem using methods like disease-free seeds and resistant plants.

Suppression

Reducing pest populations to acceptable levels; it is the focus of most pest control.

Pesticide Resistance

The ability of pests to survive pesticides that once controlled them, often developed through surviving members reproducing.

Mode of Action

How a pesticide kills or affects a pest biologically.

Key Pests

Pests that regularly cause major damage.

Secondary Pests

Organisms that become pests after key pests are removed.

Occasional Pests

Organisms that become pests only sometimes due to specific environmental conditions.

Using barriers to prevent pests from getting into an area is what type of method?

Answer:

Mechanical control

Naturally resistant plant varieties are an example of what method?

Answer:

Genetic control

Which statement about biological control is true?

Answer:

Modifying the environment to enhance natural enemies

Sealing cracks and openings in buildings is what type of method?

Answer:

Physical (mechanical) control

Which statement about cultural control is true?

Answer:

They reduce pest establishment, reproduction, and survival

Monitoring pests at airports and ports is what type of method?

Answer:

Regulatory control

Which statement about IPM is true?

Answer:

The goal is to prevent pests from reaching damaging levels

Which is a preventive pest management strategy?

Answer:

Planting weed- and disease-free seed

Which statement about action threshold is true?

The action threshold for a pest may be set at a zero pest population density.

Which would increase the likelihood of pesticide resistance?

Continual use of pesticides from the same chemical class.