Terri L. Billeisen

Urbanization is rapidly influencing the abundance and diversity of arthropods. Within urban systems, managed turfgrass is a prominent land cover which can support only a limited number of arthropod groups. To allow for more arthropod biodiversity and to support beneficial insects within turfgrass, increasing numbers of land managers are choosing to partially convert turf habitat to wildflower habitat using commercially available seed mixes. However, the population dynamics of arthropod groups in these systems are poorly known, with consequentially little information on best long-term practices for managing wildflower habitats in turfgrass systems. To address this gap, we sampled insects using pan traps in turfgrass systems pre- and post-implementation of wildflower habitats and examined the change in abundance of several insect families and functional guilds. Insect groups had variable responses to wildflower habitat implementation, with some groups such as sweat bees and skipper butterflies showing a decline two years post-implementation. Other groups, such as predatory flies, were relatively more abundant one and two years post-implementation. These variable responses point to the need for more research on the long-term effects of wildflower habitats on beneficial insects in turfgrass habitats.

Insect pollinator community dynamics in established turfgrass systems is a topic of continuing study. This research examines pollinator abundance and diversity in two turfgrass environments (golf courses and home lawns) and whether populations are affected by the establishment of pollinator‐friendly habitat. Sites adjacent to managed green spaces were selected based on site suitability for management and monitored monthly from July through October 2018 for insect pollinators using a combination of sweep netting and pan traps prior to habitat establishment. Insect sampling was repeated in 2019 post‐establishment. Wildflower presence increased bee abundance but did not impact species richness.

Sugarcane beetle (Euetheola rugiceps LeConte; Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a pest of turfgrass in the southeastern United States. This study was conducted to evaluate the toxicity of 5 products for sugarcane beetle pest management in managed bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.; Poaceae). Spring and fall populations of sugarcane beetle adults were exposed to 4 active ingredients and combinations (bifenthrin, bifenthrin plus clothianidin, carbaryl, clothianidin, and dinotefuran) under greenhouse conditions. At 7 d after treatment, there were no significant differences among insecticide treatments applied to spring beetles at either a low or a high field rate, although all insecticides caused a significant increase in beetle mortality relative to untreated (control) beetles. In contrast, bifenthrin caused significantly greater control of fall populations at the low field rate compared with other treatments. Target population (spring or fall) appears to have more impact on pesticide efficacy than either product selection or application rate. El escarabajo de la caña de azúcar (Euetheola rugiceps LeConte; Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) es una plaga del césped en el sureste de los Estados Unidos. Se realizó este estudio para evaluar la toxicidad de 5 productos para el control del plaga escarabajo de la caña de azúcar en el manejo del pasto de Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon L; Poaceae) manejado. Las poblaciones de adultos del escarabajo de la caña de azúcar de la primavera y el otoño fueron expuestos a 4 ingredientes activos y combinaciones (bifentrina, bifentrina más clotianidina, carbaril, clotianidina y dinotefurano) bajo condiciones de invernadero. En 7 dias después del tratamiento, no hubo diferencias significativas entre los tratamientos insecticidas aplicados a los escarabajos de la primavera, ya sea en una tasa de campo baja o alta, a pesar de todo los insecticidas causaron un aumento significativo en la mortalidad del escarabajo en relación con los escarabajos (de control) no tratados. Por el contrario, bifentrina resultó en un control de las poblaciones del otoño significativamente mayor con una tasa de campo baja en comparación con los otros tratamientos. La población objetivo (primavera u otoño) parece tener un mayor impacto sobre la eficacia de los pesticidas que entre la selección de productos o la tasa de aplicación.

Seasonal flight activity, adult beetle sex count, and egg production were examined in sugarcane beetles Euetheola rugiceps (LeConte) caught in light traps in North Carolina from the fall of 2009 through the summer of 2014. A regression model using variable environmental conditions as predictive parameters was developed to examine the impact of these conditions on flight activity. Depending on flight trap location and sampling years, beetles exhibited an inconsistent flight pattern, with the majority of adults flying in the spring (April–June) and intermittently in the fall (September–October). Our model indicated that larger numbers of adults collected from traps coincided with an increase in average soil temperature. Sugarcane beetles also exhibit a synchronous emergence during both periods of flight activity. Eggs were detected in females collected from light traps every week throughout the entire sampling period. The majority of females produced 7–12 eggs, with most egg production occurring between 15 May and 1 August. The findings of this research provide adult sugarcane beetle emergence and flight behavior information necessary to determine optimal pesticide application timing.

This laboratory study examined viability and infectivity of the entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar in solutions containing four different turfgrass soil surfactants: Revolution (Aquatrols Corp., Paulsboro, NJ), Aqueduct (Aquatrols Corp., Paulsboro, NJ), Cascade Plus (Precision Laboratories Inc., Waukegan, IL) and OARS (Aqua-Aid Inc., Rocky Mount, NC). Infective juvenile H. bacteriophora were added to solutions containing each of the four surfactants, and nematode viability and infectivity were monitored over time. In one of two trials, nematode survival in solutions containing the surfactants Aqueduct and Cascade Plus was consistently higher compared to the water control and solutions containing Revolution or OARS. Surfactants had no significant influence on nematode infectivity in either trial. Findings indicate that most of the common turfgrass soil surfactants examined should be compatible with EPNs and that some may potentially enhance nematode survival. Results also imply that tank-mixing of EPNs with most turfgrass soil surfactants should not pose a significant risk to the nematodes. The influence of soil surfactants on EPN performance remains to be examined in the field.