Mealy bugs?? Cancel The title field is required!

1. Smith Kerry L

   
   10/21/2011 8:10 AM

   After much discussion and frustration we have identified mealy bugs as the culprit on tif dwarf putting greens here in North Texas. Thats a new one on me. Anyone out there had them on greens before? Looked like drought stress in the beginning as did everything around here for months. After a 6" rain and no inprovement we had a salesman by who had seen the same look on another area course and sure enough he found three in about two minutes. We sprayed insecticide before the ID was made but have been told its late in the season and trying to out grow the damage before dormancy is about all you can do. Then go after them like grubs in the spring. Any ideas?

   
   
   
   
2. Larned Fred

   
   10/21/2011 11:10 AM

   I am in Fort Worth and we have delt with scale in the past two years. Our symptoms were the same the bug looks like a white AG grade fertilizer pill and when you squeez them it looks like iron. They are hard to kill but after you spray them the greens will recover rather quick. Feel free to e-mail me and I will give you more info and pictures of my greens in the past both before and after. fred_larned@yahoo.com
   
   
   Fred Larned GCS
   Rockwood GC
   City of Fort Worth

   
   
   
   
3. Brett Morris

   

   0 posts
   
   10/24/2011 1:10 PM

   They have been a problem at times here in Australia on bermuda and are the same as Fred describes. Applications of bifenthrin are used to control.
   
   Brett.

   
   
   
   
4. Rory Allison

   

   0 posts
   
   10/26/2011 6:10 PM

   We get them every 3 months here in Hawaii. One application of Chlorpyrifos and it knocks them way back. Add in a systemic when you are growing and you won't see them for a while.

   
   
   
   
5. Ross Grieve

   

   4 posts
   
   11/4/2011 2:11 AM

   From the description, you have Ground Pearl. Very hard to control and first seen on the dryer part of the green, i.e mounds. We spray a combination of Supracide, Abamectrin and Aldicarb alternatively every two weeks. Mix with a wetting agent. There is very little known about this pest but it can be devastating on Tifdwarf.

   
   
   
   
6. Smith Kerry L

   
   11/4/2011 1:11 PM

   Thanks, but its not ground pearl I had them down in the Rio Grande Valley back in the mid 90's.

   
   
   
   
7. Larry Stowell

   

   0 posts
   
   11/5/2011 11:11 AM

   Here are a few photos of mealy bugs. They are small and easy to distinguish from ground pearls.
   
   http://www.paceturf.org/photo/showphoto.php?photo=218
   http://www.paceturf.org/photo/showphoto.php?photo=787
   http://www.paceturf.org/photo/showphoto.php?photo=789