| The objectives of this research project focused on the biology and habits of the hunting billbug, Sphenophorus venatus vestitus Chittenden. The specific scopes of the study were: (a) determination of billbug species composition, life cycle, damaging life stage and distribution within the soil profile of turfgrass in North Carolina, (b) evaluation of a novel technique to monitor and quantify the movement and behavior of surface and subterranean turfgrass pests, (c) quantification of the movement and behavior of hunting billbugs using the previously mentioned technique, (d) evaluation of commercially available pesticides for the control of billbugs through field bioassays and evaluation of the contact and ingestion toxicity of these compounds with laboratory bioassays and (e) investigations seeking potential presence of attractive compounds produced by either sex of the hunting billbug, host-plant volatiles, and the potential attraction of either sex of hunting billbug to synthetically-produced aggregation pheromones of Rhynchophorus spp. and Metamasius spp. weevils.;Life history studies were conducted at field sites located near Burgaw in Pender County, Angier in Harnett County, Raleigh in Wake County, Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, and Hendersonville in Henderson County, North Carolina. Linear pitfall trapping yielded six species of billbug in the turfgrass systems in these areas, with hunting billbug, making up 99.7% of the beetles collected. Collections from cupcutter samples suggested that hunting billbugs have two overlapping generations per year and overwinter as both adults and medium-sized larvae. Field studies indicate that adult hunting billbugs are capable of damaging warm season turfgrasses.;Billbug movement and behavioral quantification was evaluated in the laboratory at North Carolina State University and on the grounds of the University Faculty Club golf course in Raleigh. The addition of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag did impact survivability, but it was concluded that survival was sufficient to justify further evaluation of the utility of the technique. There were no differences in monthly movement patterns of adult hunting billbugs on golf courses from May through October and regardless of sex. The average distance moved by tagged billbugs was greater on greens compared to roughs.;Field evaluation of insecticides for billbug control took place in Burgaw, NC with laboratory evaluation of compound toxicity conducted at the facilities of North Carolina State University. Field evaluations of a bifenthrin and imidacloprid combination, Allectus(TM), in the field at Burgaw, NC, suggests it is effective at reducing adult billbug populations when applied in Sep and May with a second application in Sep. LD95 and LC95 data collected in the laboratory showed significant differences between lethal doses of neonicotinoids and pyrethroids or combination products which contain pyrethroids.;Weevil responses varied by treatment with multiple treatments receiving 80% response or better. Treatments assessed included: bermudagrass, bermudagrass plus either or both sexes, pheromone alone, pheromone plus bermudagrass, and pheromone plus bermudagrass plus either or both sexes of weevils.;The results of these studies have provided a more in-depth understanding of the biology and ecology of the hunting billbug in North Carolina turfgrass systems. In addition, a new approach to monitoring surface and subterranean insects was successfully implemented. Finally, a baseline for compound application timing in the field along with contact and ingestion toxicities of these compounds to adult hunting billbugs are provided, and potential compounds for monitoring billbug via pheromone trapping have been identified. |
