White grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) an increasing pest of turfgrass in the South

White grub (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta Say interaction is examined using several species of white grubs as well as their egg and adult life stages. Using three different S. invicta insecticide controls, halofenozide, bifenthrin, fipronil and an untreated control in plots at two golf courses, fire ant predation of the Japanese beetle, Popilla japonica Newman was recorded over the summer of 2009. It was found last summer that the reduction of fire ants with the previously mentioned insecticides did not play a role in increasing the number of Japanese beetles in turf. Several life stage trials were also performed by subjecting Japanese beetle eggs and adults to active fire ant mounds. Euetheola humilis (Burmeister), Cotinus nitida (L.) and Popillia japonica Newman adults were also placed in the foraging range of fire ant mounds to test species and adult susceptibility over 24 hours. Japanese beetle adults had 11% loss from fire ant predation, green June beetle C. nitida had less than a 2% reduction and E. humilis Had 0% loss. Larval loss due to predation in 24 hours was 15%. Egg predation of P. japonica was 75% in just 24 hours showing that the egg stage of white grubs are extremely susceptible to S. invicta predation.