Unraveling the reproductive phenology of Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on golf courses: Implications for targeted management

The annual bluegrass weevil (Listronotus maculicollis), is a severe pest of golf course turfgrass in the eastern US and Canada.  Most turf managers seek to minimize larval damage by targeting overwintering adult populations as they move onto short-mown playing surfaces in Spring.  Fluctuations in weather patterns often create asynchronous emergence, thus leading to improperly timed or multiple chemical applications.  In an effort to better understand population development, weevils were vacuumed collected and dissected biweekly over a 3 year period to determine when reproductive maturity, mating, and egg laying occur.  Additionally, experiments with caged mating pairs were observed over a 2 year period to assess fecundity and effects of temperature accumulations on oviposition.  The findings will help to better integrate current controls and to model population development to assist in finding alternative management strategies.