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1 December 2011 Chemical Control of the Redbay Ambrosia Beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, and Other Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Jorge E. Peña, Jonathan H. Crane, John L. Capinera, Rita E. Duncan, Paul E. Kendra, Randy C. Ploetz, Stephen McLean, Gurpreet Brar, Michael C. Thomas, Ronald D. Cave
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Abstract

The redbay ambrosia beetle (RAB), Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is an adventive pest of Lauraceae in the southeastern U.S. This wood-boring insect vectors a lethal fungus, Raffaelea lauricola T. C. Harr., Fraedrich & Aghayeva, the causal agent of laurel wilt (LW) disease. The vector-pathogen complex is responsible for extensive mortality of native Persea trees in South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida, and now poses an imminent threat to the avocado (Persea americana Mill.) industry in south Florida. While chemical control of the vector is not viewed as the primary solution, control tactics should be made available to Florida avocado growers. Field and laboratory tests were conducted using avocado bolts, potted avocado trees, and field grown swampbay trees (Persea palustris (Raf.) Sarg.) treated with contact and systemic insecticides. Zeta-cypermethrin bifenthrin and lambda-cyhalothrin thiamethoxam provided the most consistent control of Scolytinae as contact insecticides, while methomyl, malathion, bifenthrin, and endosulfan were more variable in effectiveness. Avocado trees treated with fenpropathrin, cryolite Na Al fluoride, and lambda-cyhalothrin thiametoxam had similar numbers of beetle entrance holes on treated trees as on the untreated control trees. No statistical differences were observed in disease severity on treated versus non-treated avocados or swampbay. Linear regressions between the number of RAB entrance holes per tree (x) and LW disease severity (ya) and between RAB entrance holes per tree (x) and recovery of R. lauricola (yb) were both significant.

Jorge E. Peña, Jonathan H. Crane, John L. Capinera, Rita E. Duncan, Paul E. Kendra, Randy C. Ploetz, Stephen McLean, Gurpreet Brar, Michael C. Thomas, and Ronald D. Cave "Chemical Control of the Redbay Ambrosia Beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, and Other Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)," Florida Entomologist 94(4), 882-896, (1 December 2011). https://doi.org/10.1653/024.094.0424
Published: 1 December 2011
KEYWORDS
avocado
chemical control
Hypothenemus
Persea
Redbay ambrosia beetle
Xyleborus
Xylosandrus
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