A New Threat to Indiana Turfgrass: Two Species of Invasive Scarab Beetles (White grubs) Found in Northern Indiana – Turfgrass Science at Purdue University

A New Threat to Indiana Turfgrass: Two Species of Invasive Scarab Beetles (White grubs) Found in Northern Indiana

It was just a matter of time. While invasive species such as the emerald ash borer have been garnering so much attention in the press, the Turfgrass Entomology and Applied Ecology Laboratory at Purdue University has been tracking the spread of three additional species of invasive, turfgrass infesting white grubs (European chafer, Asiatic garden beetle and Oriental beetle) in the neighboring states of Ohio and Michigan . In Partnership with the Indiana CAPS (Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey) program, all three species were placed on the Indiana “watch list” just last year. The bad news…although an intensive survey conducted just 8 years ago indicated that none of these beetles were present in Indiana, two of these species, the European chafer and the Asiatic garden beetle, have just recently been confirmed from collection sites in Porter, St. Joseph and Allen Counties and this list is likely to grow as survey numbers continue to be reported. In particular, the European chafer represents a potentially serious problem for the turfgrass industry in Indiana . Statewide surveys designed to more accurately assess the distribution of these two insects will be conducted this summer and management recommendations will be available in the very near future. Stay tuned for more information on identification and control of these new pests.


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