The annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) remains the top insect pest of golf course turfgrass in much of eastern North America. Traditionally, turfgrass managers have sought to control emerging, overwintering adult populations in spring with broad-spectrum, contact insecticides as a means to reduce egg laying and avoid larval damage. In many cases, the overuse of Pyrethroids has led to the development of resistant ABW populations, and in turn, a decrease in susceptibility to unrelated chemistries. In this 60-minute webinar, Ben McGraw, Ph.D., summarizes research being conduct at Penn State with CIVITAS TURF DEFENSE to control adult weevils. He includes a brief overview of pest biology and ecology as it relates to the management and where future opportunities may lie in using CIVITAS TURF DEFENSE to control ABW.
About the Instructor
Ben McGraw, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the plant sciences department at Pennsylvania State University. He earned his masters from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. McGraw’s research focuses on understanding insect ecology and behavior to improve management programs. For the last decade, he has applied this focus to improving the control of the annual bluegrass weevil.