Pest identification

California PCA Exam Helper

For several of the PCA state licensing exams you will be required to identify specific pest and beneficial organisms or damage symptoms, and understand information about their biology and management.

The Web pages below provide links to color photos and information about the various organisms on the exams. Many of these organisms occur in a variety of crops and settings. These links will direct you to those situations in which they are most common.

You will be required to be able to:

• identify these organisms
• describe their basic biology
• describe situations in which they are pests or beneficial
• provide information on how to control them

Generally you will not be required to know specific pesticides used for their control because this information can go out of date rapidly. However, you may be required to know the broad classes of control materials in the knowledge expectations.

• Insects, mites, and other invertebrates (category A)
• Plant pathogens (category B)
• Vertebrates (category D)
• Weeds (category E)
• Identification information and other study information for the Nematology exam (category C)
• No pest identification components are in the Defoliation (category F) and Plant Growth Regulator (category G) exams