Those Evil Weevils

Over the past decade, the Annual Bluegrass Weevil has become the most troublesome, and difficult to manage insect on the golf course.  With a high percentage of Poa in the greens, we must remain vigilant in protecting this preferred turf (for weevils) from damage.

Being smaller than a grain of rice, you might not think the larvae could cause much damage.  However, when turf is either stressed from other factors, or there are high numbers of weevils, these little guys can really thin out the grass.  Due to the height at which they are maintained, collars are actually more prone to weevil damage than the putting surfaces.

While we initially see adult weevils emerging in the spring, by the time we're into summer, there are no clearly defined generations, and every life stage can be found at the same time.  With most insecticides targeting a specific stage in the weevil's life cycle, this makes control extremely challenging.

In sampling this past week, within the same location (#9 green collar), we found larvae, pupae, and young adults.  With less weather-induced turf stress this time of year, initially, weevil activity may not be noticeable, but it's definitely not time to let our guard down.

In previous years, early fall is actually the only time we've seen weevils cause damage to our Bentgrass tees and fairways, so we continue to monitor weevil activity and treat based on population density.  Is this game of cat and mouse challenging?  Absolutely.  Is it boring?  Absolutely not!