Seasonal Activity of Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Annual Bluegrass

Abstract

Listronotus maculicollis (Dietz) damages annual bluegrass, Poa annua L., on golf courses, particularly in the metropolitan New York area. Biological studies conducted during 1976–78 on golf-course turf in Westchester County (N.Y.) or Fairfield County (Conn.) included weekly sampling each summer and approximately monthly sampling the remainder of the year. The insect generally overwinters in the adult stage, predominantly in white pine, Pinus strobus L., litter and other semiprotected areas on or near golf courses. Adults begin leaving their overwintering sites in mid- to late April and begin laying eggs in leaf sheaths in early May. Larvae begin emerging in mid-May, complete their development in mid-June, and pupate. Callow adults are first evident near the end of June. In 1976 and 1977, two complete generations occurred in most locations, and a partial third generation occurred in some locations. The cooler spring of 1978 resulted in only one complete and a partial second generation.