Associate Professor The University of Georgia Griffin, Georgia, United States
Billbugs are serious pests of turfgrass, especially in sod farms in Georgia. Of the ten billbug species reported in the U.S, hunting billbug, Sphenophorus venatus vestitus is the most damaging and abundant species in the warm-season turfgrass. The dispersal behavior of hunting billbugs is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine the walking capability of adult hunting billbug. A series of laboratory and outdoor experiments were conducted in 2019 and 2020. For the laboratory studies, field-collected billbugs were incubated in environmentally controlled chambers at 15,18, 21, 28, and 32° C for 24 h and the distance moved by these pre-conditioned adults were quantified on sand and filter paper substrates using Noldus EthoVision XT software.Males moved significantly greater distance and at a faster pace in both substrates at 28° C compared to 15 and 32° C. Both males and females walked ~800-1000cm on both substrates .In the outdoor studies, the walking capability of adult billbugs was determined by measuring the total distance and the net distance moved. Temperature had no significant effect on total distance and the net distance moved by both males and females .
