Annual Bluegrass Weevil

Annual Bluegrass Weevil (ABW) Damage on the 16th fairway

ABW Larvae

 The Annual Bluegrass Weevil is again causing problems for turf professionals throughout the Tri-State area. These tiny insects feed on Poa Annua, (annual bluegrass), and also have been known to attach bentgrass when the supply of annual bluegrass has been depleted. Controlling this insect has become extremely difficult the past several seasons. Multi-generations; resistance to recommended chemicals; and changing weather patterns have change the standard treatment indicators, making it extremely difficult to predict treatment timing and what control chemicals to use.
Silver Spring is presently using three different programs to treat these pests. On our greens and tees we are using a program developed by Dupont; The Dow chemical company has developed the program being used on our back 9 fairways and the traditional program of attacking the insects during their egg laying time is being used on our front 9 fairways. All these programs have been developed from years of trails at the University level.