Efficacy of Insecticides for Control of Southern Masked Chafer Grubs in Kentucky, 1987

Abstract

Abstract This study was conducted in a bluegrass plot in Fayette County. The thatch layer was <0.25 inch. On 5 Aug, 72 turf and soil cores (6 × 6 inches) were removed from the plot and set inside 6-inch-diam × 7-inch-long sections of PVC pipe; the bottoms of the soil cores were even with the bottom of the pipe. A piece of fiberglass window, screen was placed over each hole and the pipes were replaced in the plot. The plot was then irrigated. Third-instar southern masked chafer grubs were collected from an untreated golf course rough on 26 Aug. Ten grubs were placed in each cylinder. Grubs not burrowing into the soil within 30 min were replaced. Insecticide treatments were applied 31 Aug. The randomized complete block design consisted of 6 replications with 12 treatments, including a control. Granular insecticides were mixed with dry sand and hand shaken into the cylinders. The liquid formulations were sprayed with 10 ml of water into the cylinders. The nematode treatment was mixed with 3.8 ml of water and applied. The plot was then irrigated with 0.75 inches of water. On 17 Sep, the cylinders were removed from the plot, the soil cores were broken apart, and the surviving grubs were counted. Data were analyzed by Anova and Tukey's mean separation test.