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100+ Free NC Phase W Practice Questions

North Carolina Structural Pest Control — Wood-Destroying Pests (Phase W) practice questions are available now; exam metadata is being verified.

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: NC Phase W Exam

100

Practice Questions

OpenExamPrep

70%

Passing Score

NCDA&CS

$28 + $53

Core + Phase W Exam Fees

NCDA&CS

5 years

Certification Period

NCDA&CS

WDIR-100

Official NC Report Form

NCDA&CS

2 years

Experience for License

NCDA&CS

North Carolina Structural Pest Control Phase W is the wood-destroying organism (WDO) category administered by the NCDA&CS Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division. To earn a Certified Applicator card you must pass the Core exam ($28) and the Phase W exam ($53 per attempt), each requiring a score of 70% or more; a full Structural Pest Control License additionally requires two years of Phase W experience. Phase W covers controlling termites, powderpost beetles, old house borers, carpenter ants, and decay fungi by methods other than fumigation, plus completing the official Wood-Destroying Insect Information Report (Form WDIR-100). NCDA&CS administers the exams as multiple-choice but does not publish a fixed question count or time limit. This free prep includes 100 research-based practice questions with explanations and an AI tutor.

Sample NC Phase W Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your NC Phase W exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which caste of a subterranean termite colony is responsible for foraging, feeding nestmates, and constructing mud tubes?
A.Soldiers
B.Workers
C.Alates (swarmers)
D.The primary queen
Explanation: Workers are the most numerous caste in a subterranean termite colony. They are cream-colored, wingless, and sterile, and they do nearly all the colony labor: foraging for cellulose, feeding the soldiers and reproductives, caring for young, and building the mud (shelter) tubes that protect them above ground.
2Mud tubes (shelter tubes) running up a foundation wall are the classic sign of which wood-destroying organism?
A.Drywood termites
B.Subterranean termites
C.Old house borers
D.Carpenter bees
Explanation: Subterranean termites must maintain contact with soil moisture, so they build mud tubes of soil, saliva, and fecal material to bridge from the ground to wood above grade. These shelter tubes protect them from drying out and from predators, and finding them is a primary indicator of subterranean termite activity during a WDIR.
3How do drywood termites differ from subterranean termites in their moisture and soil requirements?
A.Drywood termites require constant soil contact and high moisture
B.Drywood termites live within the wood and need no soil contact or external moisture
C.Both require mud tubes to stay hydrated
D.Drywood termites build the largest mud tubes
Explanation: Drywood termites obtain enough moisture from the wood itself and from metabolic water, so they live entirely inside sound, dry wood without any soil connection. Because they do not need soil moisture they build no mud tubes; instead they push out distinctive six-sided fecal pellets through small 'kick-out' holes.
4A winged termite swarmer (alate) can be distinguished from a winged ant by which feature?
A.A pinched (narrow) waist and bent antennae
B.A broad waist, straight bead-like antennae, and four equal-length wings
C.Wings of clearly unequal length
D.A hardened, shiny exoskeleton with elbowed antennae
Explanation: Termite alates have a thick, straight-sided body with no pinched waist, straight bead-like (moniliform) antennae, and two pairs of wings that are equal in length. Winged ants, by contrast, have a constricted waist, elbowed antennae, and forewings longer than the hindwings. This distinction is essential during inspections.
5In North Carolina, the most economically important wood-destroying insect attacking structures is the:
A.Drywood termite
B.Eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes)
C.Carpenter bee
D.Formosan termite, which is the only termite present
Explanation: The eastern subterranean termite, genus Reticulitermes, is the dominant and most destructive wood-destroying insect across North Carolina. Subterranean termites cause the large majority of termite damage in the state, which is why the WDIR focuses heavily on conditions conducive to subterranean termites.
6Small piles of six-sided, sawdust-like fecal pellets near tiny holes in finished wood are characteristic evidence of:
A.Subterranean termites
B.Drywood termites
C.Wood-decay fungi
D.Carpenter ants
Explanation: Drywood termites push their hard, six-sided fecal pellets (frass) out of kick-out holes, producing small piles beneath infested wood. Because they live within dry wood and need no soil contact, these pellet piles, rather than mud tubes, are the key sign of drywood termite activity.
7Which insect is correctly described as tunneling in wood to nest but NOT actually eating the wood for food?
A.Subterranean termite
B.Carpenter ant
C.Powderpost beetle
D.Old house borer
Explanation: Carpenter ants excavate galleries in wood to create nesting space but do not consume wood as food; they feed on insects and sugary substances. Their smooth, clean galleries and the coarse sawdust-like frass they push out distinguish them from termites, which actually digest the cellulose in wood.
8Very fine, flour-like powder sifting from tiny round holes in seasoned hardwood flooring or trim is typical of:
A.Old house borers
B.Powderpost beetles (Lyctidae)
C.Subterranean termites
D.Carpenter bees
Explanation: Lyctid powderpost beetles attack the sapwood of seasoned hardwoods such as oak, ash, and hickory. Their larvae reduce the wood interior to a fine, talc-like powder (frass) that sifts out through small round exit holes, which is the classic diagnostic sign of a powderpost beetle infestation.
9The old house borer (Hylotrupes bajulus) primarily attacks which type of wood?
A.Seasoned hardwood like oak
B.Seasoned softwood such as pine and fir
C.Only wood in soil contact
D.Plywood adhesives only
Explanation: The old house borer attacks seasoned softwoods, especially pine and other conifers commonly used as structural framing. Larvae tunnel for years, producing oval exit holes about 1/4 inch wide and a gritty, sausage-shaped frass; a rasping or ticking sound from feeding larvae is sometimes audible.
10Carpenter bees are most often identified on a structure by:
A.Mud tubes on the foundation
B.Perfectly round entrance holes about 1/2 inch in diameter, often in eaves, fascia, and decking, with yellowish staining below
C.Fine flour-like powder from hardwood floors
D.Soft, crumbling, discolored wood
Explanation: Female carpenter bees excavate nearly perfectly round entrance holes roughly 1/2 inch in diameter in unfinished or weathered softwood such as eaves, fascia boards, railings, and decking. Coarse sawdust and yellowish fecal staining are often visible beneath the hole. They do not eat wood; they tunnel to nest.

About the NC Phase W Practice Questions

Verified exam format metadata for North Carolina Structural Pest Control — Wood-Destroying Pests (Phase W) is pending. The practice questions above remain available while official exam length, timing, passing score, fee, and administrator details are reviewed.