Skip to content
LTK
ACE
Menu
ACE Prep FreeStudy guide, 277 practice questions, flashcards and a speed round.Recruit0 XP · Agent file
Join the Discord(opens Discord in a new tab)How to join

ACE Prep · Module 3 of 11

IPM Tools & Practice

Quick answerUpdated September 24, 2026

What does ACE module 3 cover?

This module covers pesticide formulation types, their advantages and disadvantages on different surfaces, insecticide chemical classes and their modes of action, and resistance management principles. Knowing which formulation to choose and why is a core ACE competency.

Key factApproximate exam weight: 10%.

Reviewed by LTK editorial team

Must-know facts

  • Application types: General/broadcast (wide surface areas), spot (≤2 sq ft, away from human contact), crack & crevice (inaccessible crevices/voids), bait, fumigation, void, space.
  • Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC): oil-based, forms milky solution, fast knockdown, easily absorbed through skin, phytotoxic risk, may stain. LEAST residual on porous/brick surfaces.
  • Suspension Concentrate (SC or flowable): finely ground particles in liquid. Better residual than EC on porous surfaces, less skin absorption, requires agitation. Examples: Suspend, Talstar, Tempo.
  • Microencapsulated (ME or CS): AI in slow-release polymer capsules. Best residual, lower exposure risk, can clog nozzles, expensive. Examples: Cykick CS, Demand CS.
  • Wettable Powder (WP): AI + inert dust + wetting agent. Good residual on porous surfaces, visible residue, inhalation hazard when mixing, requires frequent agitation.
  • Dusts: dry AI + inert carrier. Long residual, limited application areas, drift issues, experience needed. Boric acid is one of few 100% AI dusts.
  • Baits: AI (typically <5%) + attractant. Long residual, target-specific, must compete with other food sources.
  • Fumigants: volatile gases (methyl bromide, Vikane/sulfuryl fluoride, phosphine). Broad-spectrum, no residual, require enclosed space, highly toxic, special training.
  • Insecticide chemical classes: Organophosphates (irreversibly inhibit cholinesterase), Carbamates (reversibly inhibit cholinesterase), Pyrethroids (sodium channel disruptors), Neonicotinoids/chloronicotinyls (nicotinic receptor mimics, e.g. imidacloprid/Premise), Phenyl pyrazoles/fipronil (GABA channel blocker, e.g. Termidor), Pyrroles/chlorfenapyr (Phantom — disrupts mitochondrial energy), IGRs (juvenile hormone mimics or chitin synthesis inhibitors), Microbials (Bt, Beauveria bassiana), Macrocyclic lactones/avermectins (chloride channel activators).
  • Resistance management: Rotate insecticides from different chemical classes with different modes of action. Resistance is most likely when pests have high reproductive rates and the entire population is exposed.

What the exam likes to ask

  • For 'longest residual on brick/porous surfaces': microencapsulated > wettable powder > suspension concentrate > EC.
  • If a cockroach account has a history of pyrethroid use, choose a non-pyrethroid class (e.g. chlorfenapyr, fipronil) for rotation.
  • If asked which formulation requires the LEAST agitation: EC (little agitation) vs. WP and SC (require regular agitation).
  • Resistance develops faster when: reproductive rate is high, most/all population is exposed.

Field takeaways

  • Choosing the right formulation for the surface and site is as important as choosing the right active ingredient.
  • Document insecticide class rotations on accounts with resistance history — it protects efficacy and shows professional practice.
  • Boric acid is a good rotation choice because resistance is difficult to develop against physical toxicants.

Listen, watch, read

Slide deck · 15 slides

Tactical IPM Blueprint

View the slides

Module 3 quiz

26 questions. Answer them all, then grade to see the reasoning.

  1. Q1A technician needs a residual treatment that stays available on unsealed concrete instead of soaking in. Which formulation is the better choice?
  2. Q2Why should insecticide rotation for resistance be planned by mode-of-action group rather than by brand name?
  3. Q3Which insecticide class works by irreversibly inhibiting cholinesterase?
  4. Q4Resistance to insecticides is most likely to develop when
  5. Q5Crack and crevice applications are defined as
  6. Q6Microencapsulated insecticides have which of the following advantages over emulsifiable concentrates?
  7. Q7Which formulation needs the most frequent agitation in the spray tank to keep the active ingredient from settling out?
  8. Q8Which formulation dissolves completely in water, so it needs no agitation once mixed?
  9. Q9Spraying an emulsifiable concentrate on ornamental shrubs is most likely to cause which problem?
  10. Q10Fipronil belongs to which insecticide class?
  11. Q11Fipronil kills insects by
  12. Q12Chlorfenapyr kills insects by
  13. Q13Indoxacarb, found in many cockroach and ant baits, is
  14. Q14Imidacloprid and dinotefuran act on which target?
  15. Q15Bifenthrin, cypermethrin and deltamethrin share which mode of action?
  16. Q16Why are natural pyrethrins often formulated with piperonyl butoxide (PBO)?
  17. Q17Two days after a hydroprene treatment, a client complains that adult cockroaches are still active. The best explanation is that
  18. Q18Noviflumuron and hexaflumuron in termite bait stations kill termites by
  19. Q19After a whole-structure fumigation with sulfuryl fluoride, how protected is the building against new infestations?
  20. Q20Abamectin, used in some cockroach and ant baits, comes from
  21. Q21Boric acid dust works best against cockroaches when it is
  22. Q22Which rodenticide active ingredient is NOT an anticoagulant?
  23. Q23Compared with first-generation anticoagulants such as warfarin, second-generation anticoagulants such as brodifacoum
  24. Q24When choosing a product to rotate to for resistance management, the most useful thing to check on the label is
  25. Q25Which practice speeds up the development of insecticide resistance?
  26. Q26Releasing a pyrethrin aerosol into the air of a closed room to kill flying insects is a

0 of 26 answered

LTK Discord

The conversation is already happening.

Techs, owners and rookies trading notes every day — pest ID help, podcast drops, group training nights and plenty of shop talk. Free to join, no licence check required to say hello.

Join the Discord(opens Discord in a new tab)