D3323: The annual bluegrass weevil as an important pest of turfgrass in Virginia

Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), also known as the annual bluegrass weevil, is a key pest of short-cut annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass under golf course settings in Virginia. Monitoring efforts have documented that this weevil is widespread across the State. Local data on its phenology showed the first peak of adult activity in late March to early April in eastern and central Virginia, and in late April for the western part of the state. Superintendents rely on scouting for the presence of adults to fine-tune the timing of insecticide foliar sprays. Chemical tactics remained widely used, where pyrethroids an diamides are applied to control adults and larvae, respectively. Information from small-plot trials indicated that both chemical classes continue to provide acceptable mortality rates for this pest in golf courses. Surveys for pyrethroid resistance on this weevil still indicated high levels of susceptibility to this chemical class across locations. An alternative approach for monitoring has been tested by using a remote sensing approach to detect stressed turfgrass due to high infestations of this weevil. This poster summarizes several research efforts on this important insect pest for Virginia golf courses.