Feature Story
UPDATE ON ANNUAL BLUEGRASS WEEVIL POPULATIONS IN VIRGINIA By Emeline Daly, Graduate student, School of Plant and Environmental Science – Turfgrass Management, Tom Kuhar, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Entomology, David McCall, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science
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nnual bluegrass weevil (ABW) (Listronotus maculicollis) is the most damaging insect pest of golf course turfgrass in the northeastern United States (McGraw and Koppenhöfer 2007). The pest was discovered in New England in 1931, but until recent years, was largely confined to the northeastern states and not considered to be an issue in Virginia. That situation has changed drastically.
ABW Biology and Damage
While this weevil prefers to feed and lay eggs on annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.), it can also survive on creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) if necessary. Annual bluegrass weevil is particularly damaging to short mowed areas of golf courses including tees, fairways, collars, and greens (McGraw and Koppenhöfer 2007). Overwintering adult weevils (Fig. 1) will emerge in early spring and crawl to shortly-mowed grass and begin laying
30 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL January/February 2020 www.vaturf.org
