Utilizing DNA fingerprinting to identify turfgrass pest species of sod webworm in central Ohio

The sod webworm species are highly destructive pests of turfgrass. Home lawns, golf courses, grass covered parks and cemeteries often are subjected to their destructive habits. Though the adults and late instar larvae can be easy to identify, the younger larvae are often indistinguishable from one another. In the battle against turfgrass pests, it is important to be able to accurately identify the pest of interest prior to treatment. Therefore we set out to utilize DNA fingerprinting techniques to identify sod webworm species collected throughout the spring, summer and fall of 2011.

Larvae were collected utilizing soap flushes from a variety of turf and preserved for analysis. Adults were collected manually for rearing and DNA analysis and with a light trap for overall species representation throughout the seasons. The first adult species was collected mid-May. The first larvae was collected in early-Aril. Collections continued through November. DNA analysis is ongoing.