Turfgrass Insect Management Update David J. Shetlar, Ph.D. The “BugDoc” The Ohio State University, OARDC & OSU Extension Columbus, OH © December, 2010, D.J. Shetlar, all rights reserved

Notes: In this turfgrass insect update for 2011, I want to cover the following topics: Where to get current information and assistance Introduction of new and newer insecticides Performance of White Grub insecticides Performance of Turf Caterpillar insecticides Performance of Hairy Chinch Bug insecticides Performance of Bluegrass Billbug insecticides And the “good story” about turfgrass insecticides!

Notes: At Ohio State, the Turfgrass Team is very proud of our BuckeyeTurf web site! During the growing season, there are postings virtually every day in response to questions and from various team members on what we are seeing in the field. There are educational podcasts, often in several languages and tons of other information. Karl Danneberger leads the group, but other turfgrass agronomists like John Street and Dave Gardner post items. Pam Sherratt tends to the sport turf sections. Joe Rimelspach often comments on turf diseases and other maladies that he has seen during his travels across the state and on specimens submitted to the diagnostic clinic. From entomology, I often comment on insect activity as does Parwinder Grewal and Harry Niemczyk. Be sure to bookmark this site or sign up for notifications of new postings.

Notes: I find that many turf managers have missed finding out about another popular web site that is operated by Ohio State “green industry” folks! It is the Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine which we call the BYGL (pronounced beagle). From April through October, anywhere from 15 to 30 extension specialists, researchers, county agents and industry reps have a phone conference every Tuesday morning. We discuss what we are seeing across Ohio in our landscapes, at garden centers, in nurseries and requests for information that are coming in the various offices. Certain members take notes, write them up and look for factsheets and other postings that are relevant. This is then posted on Thursday by noon. This is another MUST VISIT web site for anyone taking care of turf!

The P.E.S.T. Newsletter available from: Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association 72 Dorchester Square Westerville, OH

Notes: I must also put in a pitch for my own newsletter! This was developed through a collaboration with the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association as a subscription service to Ohio’s Green Industries. I produce this every other week from mid-March through mid-October. You can order a subscription by contacting the ONLA office and be sure to mention if you are a member of one of Ohio’s green industries (ONLA, OTF, OLCA, etc.) in order to get a discount. You can receive the newsletter by mail, but it is also delivered by as a PDF file and there is a web site that has color pictures, links to relevant sites, etc. Profits from this effort go back into our Ohio State University Extension operating funds! Thanks for your support!

Notes, cont’d: Provaunt is also from DuPont and represents another insecticide mode of action. The mode of action is similar to that of pyrethroids, but different enough that pyrethroid- resistant insects still respond to Provaunt. It is primarily used for caterpillar control, but we are seeing significant billbug and annual bluegrass weevil control also. Duocide is a combination product from an Ohio company, The Andersons. It uses carbaryl (Sevin) plus bifenthrin (Talstar) and because both of these compounds are off patent, the product is relatively inexpensive! The carbaryl provides soil and surface insect control while the bifenthrin is great for knocking down caterpillars and chinch bugs. Zylam is a new product from PBI Gordon that contains dinotrfuran (a water-soluble neonicotinoid), the active ingredient of Safari. We are still finding out its fit in turf, but we have seen good control of caterpillars and billbugs.

New Insecticides Acelepryn™ (=E2Y45 or chlorantraniliprole, a new insecticide category from DuPont) – excellent grub & caterpillar control, long lasting; also good on billbugs & chinch bugs. Provaunt™ (=Indoxacarb, a new insecticide category from DuPont) – excellent caterpillar control, but active against weevil adults. Duocide™ (=carbaryl plus bifenthrin from The Andersons) – good grub control with curative action; also good on turfgrass surface insects. Zylam™ (=dinotefuran from PBI Gordon)

Notes: Acelepryn is a new insecticide from DuPont and it is the first one I’ve seen that has received a true Category 4 designation from EPA! The label states at the bottom, “EPA has determined: signal word not necessary.” That’s right, there is no “Caution” or “Warning” on this label! This insecticide exploits a unique way that insect muscles utilize calcium in muscle contractions. Humans, birds, fish, and other animals don’t use this calcium utilization mechanism, so it has virtually no affect on us or these other non-targets! In our studies, Acelepryn has performed very well against white grubs even with April applications! It also has a distinction of providing season-long cutworm and sod webworm control! All this at reduced rates of 0.1 to 0.2 pounds of active per acre! More later! Cont’d

Other Newer Insecticides Meridian™ (=thiamethoxam, new neonicotinoid from Syngenta) – excellent grub control, long lasting, etc. – Registration received in February Arena™ (=clothianidin, a new neonicotinoid from Valent) – excellent grub control, long lasting, good curative action on billbugs and white grubs. Aloft™ (=clothianidin plus bifenthrin) – new combo product from Arysta with excellent broad spectrum activity and rapid knock-down of surface insects.

Notes: The following insecticides are not really recent introductions, but are “newer” products! Meridian is another neonicotinoid (the same category as imidacloprid or Merit). Frankly, it has performed very much like Merit in our studies! Arena and Aloft contain the final neonicotinoid that is registered for turfgrass usage. In our studies and those of others, clothianidin has been the most active of the neonics in turf! It has broad spectrum with excellent control of white grubs, billbugs, and chinch bugs. There is even some good caterpillar control. In late season studies, clothianidin has given us very good control of big, fat, and sassy third instar white grubs. Compared to Dylox which kills grubs in 2 to 3 days, clothianidin kills the grubs in 3 to 5 days! The combination product, Aloft, provides even faster knock down of chinch bugs and turf caterpillars.

Ranked Efficacy of White Grub Insecticides 1976 – 2008 a rateaverange% of tests Insecticidelb.ai./a.% control# tests% controlbelow 70% Carbaryl (=Sevin) Permethrin Trichlorfon (=Dylox, Proxol) a Data from ESA publications ( ) & Ohio testing using masked chafer and Japanese beetle data where label timing recommendations were used and at least 4.0 grubs per sq.ft. were found in checks. Clothianidin (=Arena) Halofenozide (=MACH2) Imidacloprid (=Merit) Thiamethoxam (=Meridian) Cl-antraniliprole (=Acelepryn)

Notes: The grub efficacy table is the one everyone seems to want to see, but be careful interpreting the data! In reality, there is not significant difference in performance at the plus or minus 10% level! This means that Acelepryn, Arena/Aloft, MACH2, Merit and Meridian are not significantly different in performance! Likewise, Sevin and Dylox are similar to each other in performance. I often joke that, while Permethrin is registered for grub control, and is one of the most commonly used products by homeowners, the only real way you can kill grubs with this product is to pull back the dead turf and drop the bag on the grubs! The data in this table are from studies where the insecticides were applied at the “ideal” time – July into mid-August.

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Japanese Beetle Annual Cycle Traditional Control Timing Preventive-Early Curative Timing

Notes: It’s often difficult to change how people use grub controls. In the 1980s and 1990s, grub controls only worked for 20 to 30 days or even less (represented by the pink bar). Our neonicotinoid insecticides and Acelepryn are known to have effective residuals of 60 to 90 days (even more with Acelepryn!), so this opens up the possibility of using the products over a wider window (represented by the yellow bar). So, are there data for these time periods?

Comparison of Grub Insecticide Efficacy by Time of Application Clothianidin (1) 90.0 (1)97.0 (2) (=Arena) (1)100.0 (2)99.0 (2) (1) Cl-antraniliprole (4) 93.3 (9)91.6 (2) (=Acelepryn) (4) 99.8 (4)98.2 (5) Halofenozide (8) 94.4 (23)88.8 (21)89.6 (19) 77.7 (27) (=MACH2) (4) 63.7 (9)93.8 (12)75.0 (5) --- Imidachloprid (12) 91.3 (27)94.7 (39)93.6 (29) 94.1 (35) (=Merit) (1) 88.0 (1)89.0 (1)82.0 (1) --- Thiamethoxam (5) 98.8 (11)98.6 (9)98.3 (11) 93.7 (8) (=Meridian) (4) 99.3 (3) 99.3 (2)98.0 (6) (4) Trichlorfon (5) 77.7 (19) rate ave % control (#tests) Insecticidelb.ai./a.MayJuneJulyto Aug 16to Sept 10 a Data from ESA publications ( ) & Ohio testing using masked chafer and Japanese beetle data where label timing recommendations were used and at least 4.0 grubs per sq.ft. were found in checks.

Notes: Indeed, we not have quite a robust data base on performance of our grub insecticides when applied from May into mid- September. These data are represented in this table. You should take some time to study this table! In short, notice that Merit and Meridian have significant reductions in control when they are applied in May! Yet, Acelepryn and Arena seem to retain good control. As in the previous table, there isn’t much difference during June, July and early August treatments. However, look at the mid-August into early September data! When the grubs are second instars and early thirds, Arena, Merit and Meridian are significantly better than Dylox! Many of you are used to using Dylox as the preferred curative control, but these data suggest that you can save money using other products!

Striped sod webworm adult Larger sod webworm adult Western sod webworm adult Vagabond sod webworm adult

Notes: In 2010, we saw lots of sod webworms, especially the vagabond sod webworm in late August and September. However, these caterpillars were not the cause of the thin and dormant turf! Hot and dry conditions were!

2007 Ohio Long Term BCW-SWW Control Evaluation appl. 22 June, OSU Turf Facility; 0.0, 4.25, , 56, & 83DAT; 0.5, & 9.5 sww/sq.yd. 22, 56 & 83 DAT TreatmentRate % Control 56DAT83DAT26DAT Acelepryn SC Merit 75 WP Acelepryn SC Arena 50WG Meridian 25WG

Notes: Traditionally, the pyrethroids have been our primary turfgrass caterpillar control products! These remain very effective as knock-down products, but their residual activity appear to be no more than 10 to 14 days after the application. We have been looking at the activity of other insecticides for caterpillar control. Some of the neonicotinoids have moderate knock-down and moderate residual activity. However, by far, Acelepryn has proven to not only knock down caterpillars but provide extended control!

2008 Ohio SWW Control With Acelepryn (chlorantraniliprole) appl. 29 April, OSU Turf Facility; 7.5, 47.0 & 21.3 sww/sq.yd. 11, 15 & 19 WAT TreatmentRate % Control 15WAT19WAT11WAT Acelepryn SC Acelepryn SC Acelepryn SC Acelepryn SC Merit 75WP1033 Field sampling of sod webworms and black cutworms.

Notes: In this 2008 study, we found that the lower rates of Acelepryn knocked down the caterpillar populations, but to last the entire season, you need the 0.2 pound rate!

Chinch Bugs

Notes: The hairy chinch bug continues to damage lawns across Ohio, primarily sodded Kentucky bluegrass lawns. The damage often occurs in late June through August and can be mistaken for summer drought stress and disease. Close inspection of affected areas is the best method used to detect these pests.

Notes: We normally have to perform chinch bug control studies in infested lawns. If you find such lawns, we are always interested in finding home owners willing to get a free treatment!!

Efficacy of Chinch Bug Insecticides in Ohio 1996 – 2010 rateaverange Insecticidelb.ai./a.% control# tests% control Beta-cyfluthrin (=Tempo Ultra) L-Cyhalothrin (=Scimitar) Ch-niliprole (=Acelepryn) Clothianidin (=Arena) Imidacloprid (=Merit) Cyfluthrin (=Tempo) Bifenthrin (=Talstar) Thiamethoxam (=Meridian)

Notes: This table contains a summary of the data we have generated in chinch bug field trials. It should be no surprise that bifenthrin (Talstar) remains as the top chinch bug control product. However, we have also found that most of the neonics are also very good for control of these pests. Merit and Meridian do quite well, but Area (and Aloft) is probably the best of the neonics for knocking down chinch bug populations. Therefore, if you apply one of these neonics in late May or early June, you will likely zero out the chinch bugs and also achieve satisfactory white grub control. Basically, you get two pests in one application!

Ohio Lawn Damaged (killed) by Bluegrass Billbug!

Notes: Bluegrass billbug damage seems to be extensive whenever we have drought conditions beginning in early to mid-June. This occurs about once in three years in Ohio and the occurrence of the drought conditions are difficult to predict long-term. Therefore, in areas where billbugs are a common problem, many turf managers prefer to take a preventive approach rather than a curative approach.

Billbug Diagnosis – Use the “tug test”

Notes: Billbug damage can be identified well after the damage has occurred. The best way to identify billbug damage is to do the tug test. Simply grasp the straw-colored stems and pull upward. If they break off easily, look at the broken stems for signs of fine sawdust-like material, the billbug larval frass or feces! This is a diagnostic confirmation and will remain well into September and October when “dormant” turf should recover, but often doesn’t because of the billbug damage that occurred in June and early July.

Efficacy of Bluegrass Billbug Insecticides in Ohio 1996 – 2010 (preventive & early curative) rateaverange Insecticidelb.ai./a.% control# tests% control Deltamethrin (=Deltagard) L-Cyhalothrin (=Scimitar) Ch-niliprole (=Acelepryn) Clothianidin (=Arena) Imidacloprid (=Merit) Cyfluthrin (=Tempo) Bifenthrin (=Talstar) Thiamethoxam (=Meridian)

Notes: Billbug control doesn’t need to be in the 90 percentile! It has been our experience that 60% control or better will eliminate any visible damage, especially if fertility and irrigation is at good levels! This table contains a summary of our field trials performed in Ohio against the bluegrass billbug. It is obvious that all the neonics do a very good job controlling billbugs, but Arena has always been the best performer, both as a preventive and curative treatment.

Notes: The ant, Lasius neoniger, is commonly called the turfgrass ant. This species builds up colonies over several years that can occupy an area that may be five to ten feet in diameter. These colonies have one queen, and the workers set up numerous chambers that require excavation of soil. The workers deposit this soil on the surface as small volcano- shaped mounds. In high cut turf, this is not noticed, but on golf greens and tees as well as skinned areas of sport fields, the mounds become a real nuisance. We have studied control of this ant for nearly two decades and our current approach is to use insecticides in such a manner that we eliminate entire colonies, not just knock back the surface activity of the workers.

2006 Ant Trial – July Curative Treatment22DATRate 0.45 lb.65Allectus Fert lb.Allectus GC lb.87 Allectus Fert lb.Allectus GC lb.Arena 50WDG lb.Talstar F GC lb.Orthene TTO lb.Orthene TTO8447 6DAT Clyde, OH; applied 18 July; ant mounds in 4x8ft strip down middle of 10x10ft plots, 25.8, 28.5, 25.8 & 24.5 mounds per plots in checks at 6, 14, 22 & 44 DAT. 14DAT 44DAT

Notes: We have tested most of the pyrethroids and they usually only suppress mounding for 10 to 14 days. While some of the neonicotinoids begin to cause significant ant activity six to eight weeks after an application, combination products achieve quick knock-down and sustained activity that appears to result in colony elimination. Allectus, contains imidacloprid (=Merit) plus bifenthrin (=Talstar) and has produced quick knock-down and sustained colony elimination.

2008 Ohio Ant Control Study Treatment 28WAT Rate appl – Fall = 30 Oct 07; Spring = 1 May 08; Clyde, OH 23WAT25WAT 33WAT39WAT Aloft SC (Fall) Meridian (Spring) Arena (Spring) Meridian (Fall) Aloft SC (Fall) Arena (Fall) Aloft (Spring) Aloft (F&S) Meridian (F&S) Arena (F&S) WAT3WAT6WAT 17WAT23WAT

Notes: Aloft is another combination product, contains clothianidin (=Arena) plus bifenthrin (=Talstar), that has performed very well at quickly knocking out surface activity and eventually eliminates the colonies. Currently, we are recommending an application of Aloft in early spring when the ants first begin surface activity. If a little activity persists, you can make an application of Allectus (both Aloft and Allectus have maximum amounts that can be used in a single season) in June or July to finish off these remaining colonies. Once the colonies have been eliminated in an area, retreatment is rarely needed for two to three years.

Insecticide LD 50 s Acephate (Orthene) 980 Chlorpyrifos (Dursban) 270 Diazinon 400 Dimethoate (Cygon) 400 Ethoprop (Mocap) 62 Fonofos (Crusade) 18 Isofenphos (Oftanol) 20 Isazofos (Triumph) Malathion 1000 Trichlorfon (Dylox/Proxol) 250 Organophosphates (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors)

Notes: More and more people, municipalities, greens committees and others are beginning to ask about pesticide toxicity. When someone asks if you are using the “least toxic” material, you should be able to discuss these issues! And, we have a good story in that the more recent insecticides are less toxic and are used at lower rates! While it is a major simplification, one attribute to look at is the oral LD50 (the amount of pesticide that, when fed to rats, kills 50% of them). This is a relative number as most humans and animals would actually be exposed to pesticides through contact (dermal) or inhalation (breathing), but oral LD50s are easy numbers to find! As we can see, the traditional organophosphates were category I (LD50 = or < than 50 mg/kg) or category II (LD50 between 51 & 500). Category III (low toxicity) is 501 to 5000.

Bendiocarb (Turcam) 156 Carbaryl (Sevin)246 Bifenthrin (Talstar)375 Cyfluthrin (Tempo) 826 Esfenvalerate (Asana) 75 Fluvalinate (Mavrik)282 L-cyhalothrin (Scimitar) 79 Permethrin (Astro) 430 Pyrethroids (disrupt nerve sodium pump) Carbamates (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors) Insecticide LD 50 s

Notes: Most of the organophosphates and carbamates were eliminated from urban residential use because of their neurotoxic effects. You may wonder why chlorpyrifos (Dursban) and diazinon were restricted but carbaryl (Sevin) is still available. Carbaryl is virtually impossible to absorb through skin, but the organophosphates move quickly through skin. Some have stated that we moved to the pyrethroids because they are less toxic, but as you can see from the listing, they really aren’t less toxic. In fact EPA is critically evaluating the pyrethroids and many of these are also likely to be restricted from urban landscape use! So, what’s left?

Imidacloprid (Merit)450 Nitroguanidine (post-synaptic block, nicotinic ACH sites) Thiamethoxam (Meridian)1563 Nitroguanidine (post-synaptic block, nicotinic ACH sites) Insecticide LD 50 s Clothianidin (Arena)>5000 Nitroguanidine (post-synaptic block, nicotinic ACH sites) The Neonicotinoids Acetamiprid (TriStar)217 Pyridylmethylamine (post-synaptic block, nicotinic ACH sites) Dinotefuran (Safari, Zylam)>2000 Nitroguanidine (post-synaptic block, nicotinic ACH sites)

Notes: It is interesting that imidacloprid (=Merit) is a bit less toxic than the previously used organophosphates and carbamates, but it is still fairly toxic! On the other hand, the other turf-registered neonics (clothianidin, thiamethoxam and dinotefuran) are all in the low toxicity grouping. Franklly, if I were going to use the least toxic pesticides, clothianidin would be the obvious choice.

Flonicamid (Aria) Pyridinecarboxamide (inhibits impulse reception) Spinosads (Conserve) Spinosad (synaptic stimulation nicotinic acetycholine sites) Soaps (M-Pede)>5000 Fatty Acid Salts (cell membrane disruption) Other Insecticide LD 50 s Chlorantraniliprole (Acelepryn)>5000 Anthranilic Diamides (muscle calcium disruption) Azadirachtin (Neem, etc.) >3540 Tetranortriterpenoid (ecdysone blocker; antifeedant) Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)>2000 δ-endotoxins (gut cell membrane disruptors)

Notes: There are quite a few other alternate products that are registered for turfgrass insect control and most of these are in the low toxicity category. In our studies, Azatrol (contains the azadiractin, a botanical insecticide) has given pretty good chinch bug and caterpillar control. Spinosads (a microbial pesticide) is also very good for caterpillar control but you need to use higher rates against mature caterpillars. The most significant new insecticide is Acelepryn which we have already talked about. Because of its unique mode of action and small environmental impact, EPA had designated this as being a true Category IV product (LD50 above 5000) and no signal word (like Caution) is needed on the label! For highly sensitive areas (school grounds, athletic fields, etc.), Acelepryn should be an obvious consideration!

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