Golfdom, December 2011

I M P A C T O F E P N O N A B W Entomopathogenic Nematodes Control Annual Bluegrass Weevil T he annual bluegrass weevil Listronotus maculicollis formerly Hyperodes maculicollis ABW is a pest of golf course turf in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada Damage caused by larval feeding is most apparent on short turf 05 and can be extensive in turf stands with high percentages of annual bluegrass Poa annua The predominant management strategy is to target overwintered adults as they appear on the playing surfaces in spring If adult populations go uncontrolled mated females will deposit eggs between the leaf sheaths of the turfgrass plant Upon hatching young larvae bore into the plant and feed relatively protected from most chemical insecticides Older larvae 3rd through 5th instars emerge from the plant to 32 TURFGRASS TRENDS December 2011 www turfgrasstrends com feed externally on crown and thus cause the most severe turf loss Due to the low tolerance for ABW damage to high valued turf areas and the inability to effectively control the larva once inside the stem superintendents may make several preventive chemical applications against emerging adults However the over reliance on and overuse of insecticides particularly of the pyrethroid class has led to the development of pesticide resistant populations on many golf courses The reliance on preventive chemical insecticides and the possibility of the development of resistant populations has increased the need for less toxic and more sustainable approaches to controlling ABW We sought to determine if ABW populations are impacted by natural enemies e g By Benjamin A McGraw and Albrecht M Koppenhöfer Damage caused by larval feeding is most apparent on short turf