In ornamental pest control, what indicates that a pest is primarily stationary?

The presence of a long life cycle attached to a plant is a strong indicator that a pest is primarily stationary. In the context of plant health and ornamental pest management, many pests that have a long life cycle tend to remain on their host plants for extended periods. This stationary behavior is often linked to their feeding habits and life processes, as they rely heavily on the plant for food and resources throughout their life stages.

For instance, certain pests like aphids and scale insects may have larvae that are mobile initially but later develop into immobile adults that feed on plant tissue. This stationary phase allows them to maximize their feeding efficiency and reproduction rates while reducing their vulnerability to some external threats.

The other options reflect characteristics that imply mobility or different developmental behaviors, which are not indicative of a primarily stationary pest. Frequent movement across plants suggests an actively searching and mobile pest, while active feeding on host plants could be exhibited by both stationary and mobile species. The presence of crawling nymphs implies a stage that may still move to find a suitable feeding site, rather than signifying that the pest remains stationary throughout its life cycle. Thus, the characteristic of a long life cycle attached to a plant best aligns with the behavior of stationary pests in ornamental pest control.