Pest Organisms

What are the characteristics of house fly eggs as described in the provided text?

• They are large, dark, and laid singly
• They are white, banana-shaped, and laid in clusters ✓
• They are pale, legless, and move toward food
• They are hard-shelled and found in cracks in buildings

Answer: Eggs are white, banana-shaped, about 1.2 mm, and laid in clusters.

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How do pillbugs typically enter a home?

• Through open windows and doors only.
• Through foundation cracks, gaps under doors, and around ground-level windows. ✓
• They are carried inside via indoor potted plants.
• They emerge from within the home's floorboards.

Answer: They gather in damp organic litter around foundations and slip indoors through foundation cracks, gaps under doors, and around ground-level windows.

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Which caste of the Reticulitermes flavipes colony is typically comprised of only 1–2% of the total population?

• Workers
• Reproductives
• Soldiers ✓
• Alates

Answer: A colony has three main castes: reproductives..., soldiers, and workers — and soldiers are usually only 1–2% of a Reticulitermes colony.

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What is the biological lifecycle characteristic of the brown marmorated stink bug regarding overwintering?

• They breed within the wall voids of homes during winter.
• Nymphs overwinter in sheltered gaps between houses.
• Only adults overwinter, passing the season dormant. ✓
• They undergo a complete metamorphosis including a pupal stage indoors.

Answer: The source states: 'only adults overwinter, passing it dormant rather than breeding.'

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According to the biology of the American cockroach, what is the approximate lifespan of a female under good conditions?

• 600 days
• 10 months
• About 15 months ✓
• One year

Answer: Reaching adulthood takes about 600 days, and Penn State reports a female can live up to about 15 months in good conditions.

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According to the text, why can German cockroach infestations run essentially year-round?

• They are highly sensitive to outdoor seasonal changes.
• They move between indoor and outdoor environments frequently.
• They breed continuously with many overlapping generations at any moment. ✓
• They are driven by the outdoor calendar rather than indoor conditions.

Answer: Since indoor conditions... drive its activity... and since indoors it breeds continuously with many overlapping generations at any moment, infestations run essentially year-round.

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According to the text, how does the mechanism of action for desiccant dusts differ from chemical poisons?

• They target the nervous system of the insect
• They scour the waxy film that keeps the bug from drying out, causing dehydration ✓
• They prevent the insect from feeding on human blood
• They interfere with the insect's ability to molt

Answer: Where pesticides are used, desiccant dusts work mechanically: they scour the waxy film that keeps a bed bug from drying out, so it dehydrates rather than being poisoned.

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A homeowner reports seeing insects in wall voids in late spring. Based on the seasonality of this species, what is the most likely explanation?

• The insects are newly hatched nymphs.
• The insects are newly emerged adults exiting overwintering sites. ✓
• The insects are a second generation of the spring brood.
• The insects are entering the home to prepare for summer breeding.

Answer: The source states: 'They emerge in spring — Ohio around early May, Pennsylvania late April to mid-May — then mate and lay eggs through summer.' and 'Adults move toward overwintering sites in early autumn... before slipping into shelter.'

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