You Are Here: Management Updates 2006 Archive May 11, 2006

Date: May 11, 2006
Category: Insects
Subject: Black Turfgrass Ataenius, Annual Bluegrass (Hyperodes) Weevil, European Crane Flies

Black turfgrass ataenius
We have had some reports from golf courses in western Massachusetts of black turfgrass ataenius (BTA) adults being active on greens and collars. That is right about on schedule. Remember that the same approach that is often used to control annual bluegrass weevils (i.e., applying a pyrethroid or Dursban™ after Forsythia full bloom and before dogwood full bloom) works very well against BTA adults as well. And sometimes we see relatively large numbers of adults moving on the surface but do not subsequently observe grub activity. So don't panic if you see the adults - but keep an eye on things!

Annual bluegrass weevils
We have just analyzed plugs we took from a golf course in central Westchester County (just a couple miles north of Route 287), pulled earlier this week. We are finding mostly second instars right now. If the development stays "on track", superintendents in the Westchester - Fairfield county area may begin to see the telltale wilt as early as the last week of May. If the weather turns markedly warmer, you may even see the wilt just before the Memorial Day weekend, but that would be very unusual. In any case, larvae in that area should be large enough to see with a hand lens within the next ten days, so start monitoring aggressively at that point. Note that annual bluegrass weevil is now included on the Dylox™ label.

European crane flies are on the increase
Reports from New York State remind us that the European crane fly (ECF) is spreading in the Northeast. The insect has been in the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario, Canada, for a few years. At first researchers (most notably, Dr. Dan Peck at Cornell) thought the ECF in this part of the US was "restricted" to the Erie Canal corridor of New York, especially Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. But recently ECF have been reported from many other parts of the stat as well. Adults are already flying or will be flying in southern parts of New York very soon. Observant turf managers in southern New England might notice pupae now - they often stick out of the ground and can be seen if you get down to the turf surface and look across the blades of grass. The pupae look like "little twigs", according to Dr. Peck.

I mention this because there is reason to believe that the ECF may have made its way into New England as well. If you see large numbers of crane flies emerging as adults (they are sometimes described as monster mosquitoes, because they have long legs), please let us know. There are several native species of crane flies as well, so just seeing adults is not necesssarily cause for concern. But collect some of the adults and send them to Dr. Peck for confirmation. And give us a heads up as well.

The larvae can cause significant damage in turf. They are called "leatherjackets" and feed on turf roots in fall and spring. If they do become established in the Northeast, they will pose headaches for many turf managers.

Submitted by: Dr. Pat Vittum

DISCLAIMER - As always, it is the responsibility of the applicator to verify the registration status of any pesticide BEFORE applying it. Different states have different regulations as well. The author and the University of Massachusetts are not liable for any consequences of any pesticide "recommendations". Mention of any trade name is not to be considered endorsement of a product.

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