The 2021 golf season has certainly been filled with a wide range of challenges. When it comes to managing insect pests, both ants and armyworms have been frequent topics of discussion on Course Consulting Service visits this year.
Ants have been a growing concern at many facilities because their mounds can cause small areas of turf decline. Given the number of mounds that can be generated, course aesthetics and playability can be significantly impacted. Typically, ant mounds are an issue on putting greens, but it is being reported more frequently that mounds are becoming issues on fairways and tees. Combinations of plant protectants that are often used for ant control include: cypermethrin + bifenthrin + imidacloprid, imidacloprid + bifenthrin, clothianidin + bifenthrin, or thiamethoxam + lamba-cyhalorthrin.
Applications in the summer provide temporary suppression for a few weeks. Season-long control requires the queen be killed before the colony is formed in the spring, but timing the first application is difficult and control is often inconsistent. Additionally, applications should be extended at least one boom width into the rough surrounding the playing surface where mounds are an issue.
Armyworms have been an unexpected pest at many facilities in the central U.S. this year. Since armyworms can cause significant damage in a short time period, many superintendents have been scrambling to make treatments. For quick control, superintendents have used products like bifenthrin, carbaryl, and trichlorfon. At facilities where chlorantraniliprole was used for grub control, little or no armyworm issues have been observed where the material was applied. Products with this active ingredient are effective at preventing outbreaks and may be worth adding to the agronomic program to prevent outbreaks in the future.
As new challenges arise, adjustments will need to be made to agronomic programs. If ants, armyworms or any other agronomic challenges have developed at your course this year, contact your regional USGA agronomist to learn how the Green Section can help.
Central Region Agronomists:
Paul Jacobs, agronomist – pjacobs@usga.org
Zach Nicoludis, agronomist – znicoludis@usga.org
