Photo by Tonya Weeks, UF/IFAS
By Maegan Beatty
During a recent citrus insect management workshop at the Citrus Research and Education Center, Larry Duncan, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor, addressed diaprepes root weevil management.
This Caribbean pest was introduced to Florida in the 1960s. The adult pests feed and lay eggs in citrus tree canopies. The larvae feed on roots that develop in the soil. Diaprepes damage is increased significantly with the addition of HLB. These weevils have multiple generations with continuous development, both above and below ground. They are the least active during the coldest Florida months.
One way to monitor the weevils is through boll weevil traps. These contraptions are attached to a cone-shaped ground trap and can successfully capture adult weevils as they mistake the base for a tree trunk.
“The traps are useful for research, but are inefficient for routine monitoring,” Duncan said.
To improve weevil integrated pest management, Duncan and his team recommend better detection and a comprehensive evaluation of new insecticides, physical barriers and entomopathogenic nematodes. To accomplish better detection, Duncan said to examine weevil activity belowground when pulling and resetting trees.
Duncan and his team are currently experimenting with fabric soil barriers and foliar barriers (individual protective covers or IPCs). They found that fabric soil barriers reduced adult capture by >99% in the field and had no effect on capture in traps adjacent to the fabric. This means the weevils did not migrate to escape at the edge of the barriers. There are still many unanswered questions about fabric barriers including source, frequency and profitability.
The IPCs are “the best of both worlds” according to Duncan. This strategy found no weevil egg laying, faster tree growth and more efficient water and nutrient use. However, there are also unanswered questions with this strategy. This includes if there will be differences between covered and uncovered trees as they encounter weevils and HLB while producing and bearing fruit.
Duncan also spoke on sting nematode management at the workshop. See his presentations here.
Maegan Beatty is a University of Florida student and AgNet Media intern.
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