The search for alternatives to the effective conventional insecticides against turfgrass and urban landscape insect pests is paramount for the field and is the main focus of the project. The broad goal of the project is to investigate the efficacy of the microorganisms against major turfgrass and landscape insects and promote the use of inundative biocontrol as an effective IPM tool to manage insects in turf and landscapes, by presenting the results of work through training and lectures. Specifically, we focus on finding effective and less toxic alternatives for white grub, billbug, craneflies and annual bluegrass weevil control.
The project is aimed to optimize the inundative use of biologicals and biorationals against the turfgrass and ornamental insect pest, evaluate the efficacy of available options and develop recommendations to include these options in pest management programs in landscapes and minimize the use of chemical control.
