A Study of the Host Range of the Bluegrass Billbug, Sphenophorus parvulus Gyllenhall (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The bluegrass billbug, Sphenophorus parvulus Gyllenhallwas, until recently, a relatively obscure native insect.In the past decade this insect has become a turfgrass pest of economic proportions. The objective of the following research was to determine the extent of the host range of this insect.Various authors have reported it to be polyphagous (Satterthwait 1931, and Fiori, Tashiro and Personius 1968). Such insects are difficult to control since they can evade many control methods by moving from one host plant to another, or by simply existing apart from treated areas. A secondary purpose of the research was to determine the suitability of some common turfgrasses as hosts for the bluegrass billbug.If resistant varieties or species exist, they would be good substitutes for those varieties or species that are susceptible to billbug attacks. Advisor: S. Dean Kindle