Control of striped chafer,Odontria striataWhite (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in pasture using lindane

Abstract

Abstract A field trial carried out in North Otago was designed to determine the most beneficial time (April or June) and rate of application (1 or 2 kg a.i./ha) of lindane granules to pasture to control striped chafer (Odontria striata White) and alleviate pasture damage in spring. Only the 2 kg a.i./ha rate of lindane applied in April reduced larval density in the field (48%) compared with control plots when sampled in September. However, all lindane treatments gave good control of the next generation (85 – 92%) when sampled in February in the following year. Soil cores taken from the field trial plots in May and September were used in laboratory bioassays to investigate the effect of lindane on adult striped chafers. The bioassays showed that lindane caused adult mortality in winter (77 – 84%) and spring (92 – 100%) with no difference between the rates or times of application. Striped chafer larval density was low in the field trial area (31/m2 before treatment) and no differences in pasture production ...