Control of Phyllophaga Larvae and Cornfield Ants in Field Corn In Northern Illinois, 1975

Preseason soil baiting for soil insects using a mixture of wheat and corn grain indicated a heavy population of white grub larvae within the upper 4 in of soil. Ants were observed after the corn seedlings had emerged. Insecticides were applied to 38 in row plots, 4 rows wide, on May 14' 1975, and compared to a check and the normal farmer-planting with no insecticide or herbicide. Each plot was relicated 3 times. The soil was a light brown loam with pH 6.3. The test was evaluated for grubs by counting the number of healthy and injured plants per 100 ft of row, digging 5 plants per plot to count the number of live and dead larvae, and hand harvesting 1/1000th of an acre in each plot. Ant colonies were counted in the middle two rows (7 in band area) on 100 ft per plot.