Common Turf Arthropod Pests

1. Common Turf Arthropod Pests Eileen A. Buss Entomology & Nematology Dept. University of Florida/IFAS

2. Grass Thatch Soil J. Medley, UF/IFAS

3. Arthropod Pest Complex in Florida Turf Leaf/Surface Feeders • Caterpillars • Greenbug aphids • Red imported fire ants Stem/Crown Feeders • Southern chinch bugs • Twolined spittlebugs • Billbugs • Mites Root Feeders • Mole crickets • White grubs • Ground pearls

4. Correct ID of Problem • Improper site selection • Light • Temperature • Improper establishment • Drought • Poor fertility • Scalping • Herbicide • Excessive wear • Compaction • Diseases • Nematodes • Insects • Animal urine

5. Caterpillars Fall Armyworm Striped Grass Looper R. Sprenkel, UF/IFAS Tropical Sod Webworm Fall Armyworm Striped Grass Looper

6. Pest Moths Tropical sod Fall armyworm Striped grass webworm looper Wingspan: ½ to 1” ~ 1 ½” 1 ½” Photos by L. J. Buss, UF/IFAS

7. CaterpillarDamage • Young larvae first scrape leaf surfaces, or skeletonize. • Damage often goes unnoticed but at close inspection appears as a small (2 - 3 foot diameter) grayish area. • Mature larvae notch or consume the grass blades, which gives the grass a ragged appearance. • Several species may feed together, at the same time.

8. Striped grass looper infestation on bahiagrass polo field Photos by L. J. Buss, UF/IFAS

9. Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) • Hosts: Bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass • Larvae may feed from April to September • One larva can eat a grass in a 1- or 2-inch diameter round spot. With a large population, spots coalesce into dead patches. • Damage appears on turf near flower beds, where adults feed.

10. Caterpillar IPM • Cultural Control: • Avoid excessive turf fertilization, especially in late summer • Mow at low height and destroy clippings to remove any eggs • Biological Control: • Various natural enemies (stink bugs, spiders, ants, birds, other animals) may help suppress caterpillars • Chemical Control: • Many broadspectrum insecticides are available and effective. Try more selective products like B.t. or Conserve (spinosad) first, if possible

11. Greenbug Aphids(Schizaphis graminum) • Pest of grains & grasses • In Florida, main host is seashore paspalum • Feeding causes yellow or red leaf spots, tip “burning” • Females reproduce without mating • One generation takes only 7-9 days at temps of 60-80°F

12. Greenbug IPM • Cultural Control: • Drought-stressed plants are more susceptible to greenbug damage than adequately irrigated turf • Frequently mowed and low cut turf have fewer greenbugs • Biological Control: • Ladybird beetle adults and larvae, flower fly larvae, lacewings, ground beetles, parasitic wasps, spiders and fungal pathogens help suppress greenbugs • Host Plant Resistance: • Resistant cultivars are being developed • Chemical Control: • Neonicotinoids & pyrethroids are effective controls

13. Fire Ants • Solenopsis invicta • Solenopsis richteri • Solenopsis geminata • Solenopsis xyloni • Nest in mounds, can have thousands of ants per mound • Omnivorous: will eat any ground-inhabiting wildlife

14. Red Imported Fire Ants

16. Current Control Strategies • Individual mound treatment • Baits or contact insecticides • Broadcast application • Fast-acting (nerve toxins) or slow-acting (IGRs) baits • Slow-acting, long-residual contact insecticide (TopChoice) • Natural enemies have been released by the USDA – phorid flies, pathogens

17. Southern Chinch Bugs (Blissus insularis) • Incomplete metamorphosis: 3 life stages (egg, nymph, adult) • Eggs are laid singly in the thatch, at the crown, and in leaf sheaths. Nymphs and adults also occur in these areas. • Nymphs and adults feed by sucking fluids from turf plants and possibly increase damage by injecting a toxin. Lyle Buss, UF/IFAS

18. Southern Chinch Bugs • 1 generation occurs about every 4-6 wks • Multiple generations per year (3-10 in FL) • Most activity: April to October • Overlapping life stages • Adults may live up to 2 months, and each female can lay ca. 300 eggs

19. Chinch Bug IPM • Cultural Control: • Avoid excessive turf fertilization • Dethatch turf to reduce habitat • Biological Control: • Natural enemies (a scelionid egg parasitoid, big eyed bugs, anthocorids, nabids, earwigs, spiders, ants) help suppress chinch bugs • Chemical Control: • Insecticide resistance is a recurring problem and must be managed • Rotate products with different modes of action

20. Twolined Spittlebug(Prosapia bicincta) • Feeds on many grasses, weeds, & ornamentals • Suck plant juices • Nymphs in spittle- masses • 2 generations/year L. Williams

21. Twolined Spittlebug IPM • Cultural Control: • Avoid conditions that favor thatch build-up • Biological Control: • No nymphal natural enemies; adults are attacked by birds, spiders, assassin bugs, and a fungus • Chemical Control: • Few insecticides are effective • Use enough water volume to penetrate thatch

22. Billbugs (Sphenophorus spp.) • Gray to black weevils • Larvae are legless • Hunting billbug has a Y-shaped area on pronotum with a parenthesis-like marking on each side • Possibly 2+ generations each year in Florida

23. Billbug IPM • Cultural Control: • Overseed using endophytic ryegrass • Keep turf fertilized and moist to survive damage • Dethatch to reduce habitat • Biological Control: • Entomopathogenic nematodes kill larvae and adults • Chemical Control: • Preventive insecticides used against grubs should work, but have been less effective in Florida, possibly because of poor timing • Curative insecticides have had variable efficacy

24. Bermudagrass Mite (Eriophyes cynodoniensis) • Eriophyid mite • Only host: bermudagrass • Adults are 0.2 mm long with 2 pairs of front legs • Damage: reduced turf vigor, tufts of grass with short internodes • 1 generation = 2 weeks L. J. Buss

25. Zoysiagrass Mite(Eriophyes zoysiae) • Eriophyid mite • Hosts: Zoysia spp. • Infests unexpanded leaves, leaf sheaths, collars, seed heads • Cultivar ‘Emerald’ is resistant, but ‘Belair’, Meyer’, and ‘El Toro’ are susceptible L. J. Buss L. J. Buss

26. Mite IPM • Cultural Control: • Keep grass properly fertilized and irrigated • Scalp turf & destroy clippings • Biological Control: • Natural enemies have not been studied • Chemical Control: • Miticides • Use enough spray volume to penetrate thatch

27. Tawny mole cricket Southern mole cricket Shortwinged mole cricket

28. Tawny Mole Cricket (Scapteriscus vicinus) • Feed on roots at night • Adult males call females for 1 hr after sunset • Egg laying: March – June • Females make 3-5 egg chambers, each with ~40 eggs • Eggs hatch in ~3 weeks • Nymphs feed through summer, most are adults by October Photos by L. J. Buss, UF/IFAS

29. Southern Mole Cricket(Scapteriscus borellii) • Omnivorous • Adult males call females for 1 hr after sunset • Egg laying: May – July • Eggs hatch in ~3-4 weeks • Nymphs develop slowly; most overwinter as nymphs Photos by L. J. Buss, UF/IFAS

30. Shortwinged Mole Cricket (Scapteriscus abbreviatus) • Eat turfgrass roots • Adults cannot fly • Look like southern mole crickets • Males chirp at rather than call for females • Most nymphs become adults by fall Photos by L. J. Buss, UF/IFAS

31. IPM Program for Mole Crickets • Monitoring and correct identification • Cultural controls • Avoid using lights at dusk/early night • Host plant resistance • Biological control • Larra bicolor, Ormia depleta, insect-parasitic nematodes L. J. Buss, UF/IFAS

32. Chemical Control Preventive: • Treat young nymphs in May/June, soon after egg hatch • Many contact insecticides available Curative: • Treat after damage occurs, usually summer, fall, or spring • Baits • Spot treatments

33. Scarab Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) • Dung beetles and plant-feeders • 1400 North American species • Scarabs vary in size, color, and habits, but adults can be recognized by their 3-segmented, clubbed antennae • Larvae molt 3 times (have 3 instars) EGG LARVA PUPA ADULT

35. Masked ChafersCyclocephala spp. • Some of the most abundant and damaging grubs in U.S. • 6 species in Florida: C. borealis, C. lurida, C. miamiensis, C. parallela, C. puberula, C. seditiosa • Adults are tan and about 5/8 inches long. Mature grubs are ca. 1 inch long. • Hosts: Grubs feed on all warm-season grasses. Adults don’t eat. Lyle Buss, Univ. of FL

36. May/June Beetles (Phyllophaga spp.) • 54 species in Florida • P. bruneri, P. latifrons, P. quercus, P. uniformis • 1-3 year life cycle in U.S.; 1-2 generations/year in Florida • Adults are dark brown, often hairy, and less than 1 inch long • Hosts: Grubs feed on roots of most grasses, pine seedlings. Adults feed on tree leaves. Lyle Buss, Univ. of FL

37. Green June Beetle (Cotinis nitida) • 1 year life cycle • Grubs feed on organic matter, often where organic fertilizers are used • Adults feed on over-ripe fruit in August in north Florida • Grubs walk on their back Lyle Buss, Univ. of FL

38. IPM Program for White Grubs • Identify your pest species or genus • Determine how many grubs/sq. ft. are damaging • Cultural controls • Soil moisture, soil organic matter, lights, overseed with endophytic ryegrass • Biological control • Wasps, nematodes, pathogens, animals • Chemical control • Know when adult beetles fly; apply preventives during egg lay/hatch

39. Ground Pearls • Scattered, irregular patches of dying grass • Cysts found near edge of damage • Adults present in late spring • Prefer bermudagrass and centipedegrass

40. Ground Pearl IPM • Cultural: • Keep turfgrass healthy to outgrow damage. Maintain proper fertility and irrigation. • Biological: • Natural enemies are unknown • Chemical: • No insecticides are labeled for ground pearl control at this time