Sam O. Dennis and Jason Oliver. Tennessee State University, 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209
Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman) is a pest capable of considerable damage to horticultural nursery crops. Their control is very important to nursery growers both from direct crop damage and the quarantine issue of their larvae moving in nursery plant soil. Likewise, imported fire ants are serious nuisance pests that have the potential to harm humans, livestock, and ecological systems. Dip treatment is one of the control options used for the quarantine treatment of Japanese beetle larvae and fire ants in post-harvest root ball soil. Moderate persistence of soil-acting insecticides like bifenthrin is desirable for long-term protection of nursery stock against infestations of soil-borne insects like the Japanese beetle and fire ants. The desirable period of protection for insecticides may range from weeks to several months, especially when the insecticide is applied as a late season treatment for third instar Japanese beetle or fire ants. The objective of the study was to evaluate the residue levels of bifenthrin in ball and burlapped (root balls) nursery soils at 1, 2, and 4 months post-treatment. Bifenthrin was detected in the soil at four months post-application, which indicates potential for long-term efficacy against soil-borne pests like Japanese beetle and fire ants.
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