non-chemical ways to manage turf insect...
TRANSCRIPT
NON-CHEMICAL WAYS TO
MANAGE TURF INSECT PESTS
“Days of Education”
Slovenia Turf Conference
November 2016
Dr. Pat Vittum
University of Massachusetts
Turf insect pests
Sod webworm
Cultural strategies
• Put the turf at an
advantage
OR
• Put the insect at a
disadvantage
Cultural strategies
• Manage soil moisture
• Manage thatch
• Mowing heights
• Encourage healthy root system
Manage soil moisture
• “Good” soil
moisture allows
turf to tolerate
some insect
activity
• Need good
drainage too!!!
Photos: P. Vittum
Well timed irrigation keeps turf growing well,
so it can tolerate some insect activity
Photo: P. Vittum
Dry soils
• Insects that
survive well (and
cause more
damage) in dry
conditions:
– Chinchbugs
– Caterpillars
– Billbugs
Photos: F. Baxendale
Wet soils
• Craneflies survive
MUCH better if
soils are almost
saturated when
the eggs are laid
and the larvae
hatch
Kendalluk.com
P. Vittum
Soil moisture and grubs
• Scarab eggs need soil
moisture to survive
• If soils are too dry,
females will delay
laying eggs for
several weeks, until
moisture improves
• Damage may not be
noticed until later than
usual
NYSTA
P. Vittum
Manage thatch
Photo: Kansas State Extension
Managing thatch
• Avoid having thick
or dense thatch
• Some insects
feed in thatch
• Many live or hide
in thatch
Kansas State Univ. extension
Nelsonlandscapemaintenance.com
Insects that prefer thatch
D
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crane flies caterpillars
chinchbugs
F. Baxendale (UNL)
billbugs
F. Baxendale (UNL)
P. Vittum
Mowing heights
• Low mowing height
puts more stress on turf
• Raise the height of cut
whenever possible
• Higher cut will help turf
survive insect activity
www.probotiq.com
P. Vittum
Encourage healthy root system
• Aeration improves
soil health by
increasing oxygen
to the roots
• Aeration can
reduce thatch
Lawn Institute
Res.cloudinary.com/usga
Can aerification
destroy grubs mechanically?
Slide: B. McGraw
Can aerification
destroy grubs mechanically?
Yes but:
- more grubs are killed when using large
tines and narrow spacing but
damage to the turf is severe
- only effective when grub population is
high
Ben McGraw, Penn State University
Cultural strategies
• Barrier strips (BCW)
• Disposal of clippings (BCW)
• Manage secondary pests (grubs, CF)
• Milorganite (grubs)
• Plant well-adapted species and cultivars
Barrier planting of KBG (Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratense)
- Black cutworms do not survive well
on KBG
- If caterpillars must crawl across
KBG, many will die
Photo: P. Vittum
Disposal of clippings
(black cutworm)
90% of eggs are removed with mowing
BUT most of the eggs survive
SO be sure to dispose of clippings
away from the green (at least 10 m)
Photo: P. Vittum
Disposal of clippings
The further the caterpillars must walk,
the better chance something
bad will happen
Photo: P. Vittum
Manage secondary pests
• Many animals
(skunks, raccoons,
cranes, crows)
feed on grubs and
crane fly larvae
• Their damage is
worse than the
grubs or crane flies
P. Vittum
S. MacDonald
Secondary pests
A-z-animals.com Blogs.mcgill.ca/oss
www.allaboutbirds.org Stevetabone.files.wordpress.com
Some fertilizers
• Milorganite™
appears to deter
skunks (and maybe
raccoons) from
digging for grubs
• Fertilizer derived
from water
treatment plant in
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin
Well adapted species and cultivars
• Use species and cultivars that grow
well in your conditions
• Use cultivars of perennial ryegrass
(Lolium perenne) or turf-type fescues
(Festuca) that contain endophytes
Endophytes
• Fungi that produce substances toxic to insects
Endophytes
• Fungi that produce substances toxic to insects
• Available in some fescues (Festuca) and perennial ryegrasses (Lolium)
Plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu
P. P. Cobb, Auburn Univ.
Endophytes
• Fungi that produce substances toxic to insects
• Available in some fescues and perennial ryegrasses
• Effective against chinchbugs, billbugs, and some webworms
www.naturesfinestseed.com
dl.sciencesocieties.org
Endophytes
• Fungi that produce substances toxic to insects
• Available in some fescues and perennial ryegrasses
• Effective against chinchbugs, billbugs, and some webworms
• Provide good drought tolerance too
Plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu
www.naturesfinestseed.com
Biological control options
• Bacteria
– Bacillus thuringiensis
• Entomopathogenic nematodes
– Steinernema carpocapsae
– Steinernema feltiae
– Steinernema glaseri
– Heterorhabditis bacteriophora
Bacteria
Photo: NYSTA
Bacillus thuringiensis
(BT)
• a bacterium that is found in soil all over
the world
• first discovered in Japan in 1901
• paralizes the gut so insect stops feeding
Slide: S. Alm
Bacillus thuringiensis
“BT”
• Several “varieties” or “strains” of BT
• Each strain is quite specific, only
affects some kinds of insects
– BT kurstaki
– BT israeliensis
– BT galleriae
BT – kurstaki
caterpillars
• Most effective
when most
caterpillars are
still very small
• Hard to control
full-grown
caterpillars
Entomology.osu.edu/bugdoc
NYSTA
BT – israeliensis
crane flies
• Can provide 55%
control if applied
when larvae are
small • (G. Stahnke, Walla
Walla Community
College, Washington
State)
Desantislandscapes.com
C. Bramhall
BT - galleriae
white grubs
• Looks promising
against white
grubs
• Can provide 55 to
65% control if
applied when
grubs are small
Photos: P. Vittum
Insect-attacking nematodes
Entomopathogenic Nematodes (EPNs)
• Nematode penetrates
insect through a
natural opening
• Nematode releases
bacterium, which kills
insect
• Nematode reproduces
and looks for another
insect to attack
Slide: CSIRO
Photo: Entomology Dept, UFlorida
Entomopathogenic nematode life cycle
Slide: A. Koppenhofer
Nematodes• Sensitive to
sunlight and high
and low
temperatures
Nematodes• Sensitive to sunlight and
high and low
temperatures
• Avoid using cold
water in spray
tank (above 10 C,
15 C is better)
Nematodes
• Sensitive to sunlight and
high and low
temperatures
• Avoid using cold water
in spray tank
• Soil temperature
must be at least
12-15 C, warmer
is better
Entomopathogenic
Nematodes (EPNs)• MUST irrigate (at
least 1 – 1.5 cm) after
application
• Also irrigate BEFORE
application if possible
• Do not apply between
1000 and 1400 on a
warm, sunny day
Photos: P. Vittum
Heterorhabditis bacteriophora
white grubs
• Can provide 50 to
70% control of
some grub species,
sometimes better
• Most effective if
applied when 1st or
2nd instar (August /
early September)
Nematodes.com
Bugwoodcloud.org
Steinernema carpocapsae
caterpillars• Can be effective
against caterpillars
• Apply at 2 to 2.5
billion nematodes
per hectare
• Can use standard
hydraulic sprayer
(remove filter)
Photo: bishwoadhikari.wordpress.com
Photo: Univ. of GeorgiaP. Vittum
Steinernema glaseri
white grubs
• Some studies in
US suggest it can
reduce white grub
populations of
some speciesBiosys
Steinernema feltiae
crane flies
• Can provide 55%
control if applied
when larvae are
small (Stahnke)
• Soil temperature
must be above 8 C
CSIRO
Kendalluk.com
Entomopathogenic fungi
Beauveria bassiana
• Occurs naturally in
many parts of the world
• Commercial formulation
now available in US
(Botanigard™)
• Limited testing on
chinchbugs and billbugs
Metarhizium anisopliae
• Found in soils
around the world
• No commercial turf
formulation in US
• Cranefly photo
looks like
Metarhizium to me
• No field trials in USwww.swansea.ac.uk
Non-chemical options
Cultural options
Biological control agents
