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Title: SYSTEMIC ACTIVITY OF NEONICOTINOIDS INFLUENCES FEEDING BY ADULT BLACK VINE WEEVILS ON VARIOUS SPECIES OF ORNAMENTALS

Author
item Reding, Michael - Mike
item ANAND, PERSAD - DAVY TREE COMPANY
item Ranger, Christopher

Submitted to: National Meeting of Entomological Society Of America
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/20/2008
Publication Date: 11/18/2008
Citation: Reding, M.E., Anand, P., Ranger, C.M. 2008. SYSTEMIC ACTIVITY OF NEONICOTINOIDS INFLUENCES FEEDING BY ADULT BLACK VINE WEEVILS ON VARIOUS SPECIES OF ORNAMENTALS. National Meeting of Entomological Society Of America. Available: http://esa.confex.com/esa/2008/webprogram/Paper36751.html

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The black vine weevil (BVW) is a serious pest of ornamental nursery crops. The larval stage feeds on the roots of ornamental plants and small fruits often stunting or killing the plants. The adults feed on the foliage of ornamental plants. A standard management technique is to apply foliar treatments of insecticides to kill adults before they lay eggs in the soil or soilless media around plant roots. In this management technique, growers apply several insecticide treatments each summer. If systemic insecticides applied to the substrate were effective against the adults, a single treatment might provide season-long control. We tested four insecticides applied as drenches to the potting media of six species of containerized ornamental plants. It’s possible systemic activity would be influenced by plant species. Bioassays were set up to evaluate feeding by adults BVW on treated plants over three time-periods (12, 26, and 42 days after treatment). On some species of plants (Taxus, Heuchera, Sedum and Euonymus), insecticide treatments reduced feeding by adult BVW up to 42 days after treatment compared to untreated control plants. This reduced feeding was usually accompanied by weight loss or less weight gain compared to control plants. However, very little mortality occurred in any of the treatments. Treating the planting substrates of ornamental plants with single applications of systemic insecticides should provide growers with an alternative strategy to applying several foliar treatments for control of BVW.