PACE Turf - Turfgrass Information Center

1994 Turf Insect Monitoring

Summary: An insect monitoring study was initiated to provide the basis for a turf insect integrated pest management (IPM) program. Weekly black light trap counts of adult insect pests of turf were collected from ten Southern California golf courses from March 7 through October 12, 1994. Key results from the study’s first year include:

  • Black turfgrass ataenius (BTA) was the most damaging and most difficult to control insect detected, particularly on cool season turf (bentgrass, rye, bluegrass and mixtures). Damage caused by BTA was a combination of direct feeding by grubs, and damage caused by birds searching for grubs. At least 3 generations of BTA were observed from late June to early October. This is in contrast to the 1 - 2 generations recorded for BTA in the Eastern U.S., where it has been most widely studied.
  • Black cutworms and common armyworms were an almost constant presence at all courses from April through September. Larvae (caterpillars or worms) of these insects caused some damage at several courses, but populations were easily controlled through insecticide applications. Damage caused by these pests was a combination of direct feeding by insect larvae, and damage caused by birds searching for larvae.
  • Bird damage was observed at all courses on greens and tees, especially in late July and early August. However, cutworm and armyworm larvae were sometimes difficult to find despite the bird damage. One possible explanation is that birds were searching for BTA grubs which were prevalent during this time period, rather than for cutworms and armyworms.  Because BTA grubs are rarely seen on turf (they are very small and feed in the thatch/soil interface), the damage they cause may erroneously be attributed to cutworms
  • The population models currently available for prediction of BTA and black cutworm development were designed for temperate climates where average air temperatures frequently dip below 32 F . For this reason these models were not applicable for Southern California where average air temperatures are rarely below 50 F.
  • Attempts to monitor armyworm and cutworm larval populations via the soil drench method did not provide useful information for the purposes of timing insecticide applications. Black light trap counts of adults and monitoring for insect and/or bird damage were more reliable indicators of the presence of these pests.
  • Other pest insects including sod webworms, variegated cutworms, masked chafers and May/June beetles were detected at all participating courses, but caused no significant damage to turf in 1994.

Printable version of full report

Principal Investigators: Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D. Larry Stowell, Ph.D.

Cooperators and Sponsors: Brian Darrock, Fairbanks Ranch Country Club Raymond Davies, Virginia Country Club Bill Gallegos, Los Coyotes Country Club Mike Hathaway, Los Angeles Country Club Eric Lover, Dove Canyon Country Club John Martinez, Arrowhead Country Club Brian Massey, Target Specialty Products Ben McBrien, Sea Cliff Country Club Mark Phillips, Leisure World, Laguna Hills Greg Swanson, San Luis Rey Downs Reed Yenny, Mesa Verde Country Club

 

White Grub Biology and Management

Summary: Larvae (grubs) of the black turfgrass ataenius, Ataenius spretulus, and the masked chafer, Cyclocephala spp. are serious pests of cool season turfgrass throughout the United States. However, little is known about the biology and the timing of appearance of these insects in the Low Desert, nor is there a good, generally accepted method for monitoring of white grubs. This deficit has made management of these pests difficult. To address this gap in information, the PACE Turfgrass Research Institute conducted three different studies on white grubs during 1996 - 97:

Project I: Predicting the Timing of Adult and Larval Populations of the Black Turfgrass Ataenius and the Masked Chafer Using Black Light Traps

Project II: Predicting the Timing of Adult Populations of the Black Turfgrass Ataenius Using Degree Day Models

Project III: Efficacy of Chemical and Biological Controls for Black Turfgrass Ataenius and Masked Chafers Key research findings are listed below and are presented in more detail in the three attached reports.

  • Black turfgrass ataenius biology:  Black turfgrass ataenius adults were present in all study locations. There were three or more discrete generations of black turfgrass ataenius (BTA) adult beetles, beginning in late May, and ending in October or November, although small numbers of adult beetles were observed on greens throughout the year. In contrast, BTA grubs were infrequently observed in the Low Desert, and only beginning in late August, when they did cause damage to cool season turf. This may indicate that BTA grubs do not survive on greens height turf during the hotter months of July and early August, and that they may not be as widespread a problem as previously believed.
  • Predicting the appearance of the black turfgrass ataenius:  While several methods were developed that accurately predicted when BTA adult beetles would appear, prediction of grub appearance was more difficult. Based on PTRI data obtained from coastal Southern California golf courses over the past 4 years, it was expected that BTA grub populations would occur two to three weeks after each peak of BTA adult beetle activity. However, although extremely high numbers of BTA adults were detected with black light traps beginning in late May/early June, grubs were not detected until twelve weeks later, in late August. Therefore, while black light traps are a good indicator of when adult BTA beetles will appear, they do not necessarily give an accurate prediction of when BTA grubs will appear on golf course greens. A degree-day model that was developed to predict the appearance of BTA adults was able to use temperature to predict when BTA adults would occur (and was accurate within a range of 2 days before or 14 days after the actual peak), thus making the use of black light traps less necessary. However, like the black light trap, the degree day model only predicts when adult BTAs will occur, and does not predict when BTA grubs will appear.
  • Masked chafer biology: Unlike other regions of the country, where masked chafers lay eggs for only a few weeks, Low Desert masked chafer adults were active in June, and then again in August and September, indicating that two different species of chafers may be present in the Desert. Grubs were found on cool season greens beginning in early July, and continuing to the following Spring. The greatest damage from chafer grubs was observed in July and August. Chafer grubs appeared to be a serious pest in more locations than did BTA larvae.
  • Predicting the appearance of the masked chafer: Black light trap samples of masked chafer adults accurately predicted the appearance of grubs, with grubs first detected on greens on 7/12/96, or four weeks after the first peak of adults, which occurred between 6/9 and 6/11. A second peak was observed in September/early October. It is likely that the occurrence of two peaks of chafer activity indicates the presence of two different species of masked chafer.  Unlike the BTA, masked chafer adults appear to be active during the same time period every year, indicating that changes in temperature from year to year have little effect on chafer activity.  For this reason, it is likely that a constant environmental feature, such as day length, has a stronger effect on chafer development than does temperature. Based on these observations, chafer activity can be most accurately and easily predicted using a calendar, with the first peak of adult activity expected during the second week of June, and the first grubs appearing in late June and early July. Black light traps and degree-day models will probably be no more accurate than this calendar approach to predicting masked chafer activity.
  • Control of white grubs: The most effective treatments were trichlorfon (Dylox or Proxol), imidacloprid (Merit) and acephate (Orthene and Pinpoint). No phytotoxicity was observed.  While Merit provided excellent preventive control of white grubs, its activity declined significantly between 8 and 10 weeks after application. This suggests that two applications of Merit may be necessary to maintain control during the critical months of June, July and August. Applications of Dylox or Orthene provided excellent curative control of grub populations. However, these products have brief residual activity and therefore must be applied several times during the season for optimum control. Dursban, considered by some to be the industry standard for grub management, did not provide acceptable control of white grubs. Other ineffective treatments included two biological insecticides (M-Press and Cruiser), and Tame (a pyrethroid).

Printable version of full report

Project I: Predicting the Timing of Adult and Larval Populations of the Black Turfgrass Ataenius and the Masked Chafer Using Black Light Traps

Principal Investigators:  Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D. and Larry J. Stowell, Ph.D., CPAg

Cooperators:  Ross O’Fee and Mike Kocour, The Springs Club; Cal Hardin, Morningside Country Club; Douglas Anderson, The Vintage Club; Chris Harvell, Nicklaus Private Course (PGA West)

Sponsors:  Hi-Lo Desert Golf Course Superintendents Association; Ross O’Fee and Mike Kocour, The Springs Club; Cal Hardin, Morningside Country Club; Douglas Anderson, The Vintage Club; Chris Harvell, Nicklaus Private Course (PGA West)

Project II: Predicting the Timing of Adult Populations of the Black Turfgrass Ataenius and the Masked Chafer Using Degree Day Models

Principal Investigators:  Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D. and Larry J. Stowell, Ph.D., CPAg

Cooperators:  Ross O’Fee and Mike Kocour, The Springs Club; Cal Hardin, Morningside Country Club; Douglas Anderson, The Vintage Club; Chris Harvell, Nicklaus Private Course (PGA West)

Sponsors:  Hi-Lo Desert Golf Course Superintendents Association; Ross O’Fee and Mike Kocour, The Springs Club; Cal Hardin, Morningside Country Club; Douglas Anderson, The Vintage Club; Chris Harvell, Nicklaus Private Course (PGA West)

Project III: Efficacy of Chemical and Biological Controls for Black Turfgrass Ataenius and Masked Chafers

Principal Investigators:  Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D. and Larry J. Stowell, Ph.D., CPAg

Cooperators:  Ross O’Fee and Mike Kocour, The Springs Club and Chris Harvell, PGA West

Sponsors:  Hi-Lo Desert Golf Course Superintendents Association, Bayer Corporation, Valent Corporation

 

Control of Black Turfgrass Ataenius Adults and Grubs

Summary: A trial evaluating the efficacy of various insecticides for control of black turfgrass ataenius adults and grubs was initiated on a bentgrass nursery at Los Coyotes Country Club, Buena Park, CA. Key results include:

  • The strategy of using pyrethroid insecticides to target adult black turfgrass ataenius (BTA) to control subsequent generations of BTA grubs was shown to have merit, if applications can be carefully timed to target the peak summer generation(s) of adults. Using this strategy, grub control was observed for as long as eleven weeks after insecticide application.
  • Various formulations and rates of two different pyrethroid insecticides (l cyhalothrin [Scimitar] and deltamethrin [Deltagard]) produced significant reductions in both adult and grub counts on most sampling dates, with the exception of the low rate (0.11 oz/1000 sq ft) of the Scimitar 10 WP formulation, which failed to produce significant reductions in grub populations.
  • The performance of a larvicidal product, thiamethoxam, was excellent, with grub populations maintained at extremely low levels for the duration of the trial (11 weeks). Both formulations of thiamethoxam (granular and wettable granule) performed as well as imidacloprid (Merit), the current commercial standard for white grub control. Despite the very good performance of some of the pyrethroid formulations, the two larvicidal products tested (thiamethoxam and imidacloprid) provided more consistent and more effective control of larval BTA for the duration of the trial. In addition, the application timing requirements for the larvicidal products are less stringent than for adult-active pyrethroids, making the larvicides somewhat easier to use effectively.

Printable version of full report

Principal Investigators: Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D. and Larry J. Stowell, Ph.D.

Cooperator: Bill Gallegos, Los Coyotes Country Club

Sponsors: Agrevo, Novartis, Zeneca

 

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