Bluegrass Billbug Larval Control in Lawn Turf, 1996

The study was conducted on the Ohio State University Agricultural and Technical Institute front lawn at Wooster, OH. Insecticides and a biological control agent were applied on 2 Jul to plots 4 X 6 ft arranged in a RCB design, replicated 4 times with the replicates separated by 3 ft. Spray treatments were applied using a CO2 sprayer with TeeJet™ 8004VS nozzles at 25 psi pressure that delivered a volume of 3.1 gal/1000 ft2. Granular treatments were applied using a shaker jar. Entomopathogenic nematodes were applied by placing the desired amount of infective juveniles per plot into a sprinkling can with 2.0 gal of water. All treatments were irrigated after application with ⅜-inch of water immediately after application. Environmental conditions at the time of treatment were as follows: Turf: slight slope, moderately dense, 3-inch height, surface dry, 80% Kentucky bluegrass and 20% perennial ryegrass. Thatch: none. Soil: dry, 85°F at 1.0 inch, 83°F at 3.0 inch, clay loam Weather: partly cloudy, 83°F, 5-15 mph wind. Evaluation was done on 16 Aug (14DAT) by counting the number of BGB larvae and pupae extracted from four 4.25-inch diam turf and soil cores pulled from each plot. Each core was pulled from a spot where a BGB frass-filled turf stem was detected.