Control of Ant Mounds on a Golf Course Fairway, 1996

Abstract

The study was conducted on an irrigated fairway at Crockett’s Green Hills Golf Course, Clyde, Ohio. Insecticides were applied 2 May to plots 10 X 10 ft arranged in a RCB design replicated four times. Two of the treatments were split applications in which the second applications were made 20 May. The liquid treatments were applied with a CO2 sprayer and Tee-jet™ XR8006VS nozzles at 25 psi pressure that delivered a volume of 1 gal/1000 ft2. There was no immediate post-treatment irrigation. The area did receive supplemental irrigation sufficient to maintain turf quality. Environmental conditions at the time of treatments on 2 May were as follows: ants-extensive mound building activity observed, approximately 5/yd2; turf—3° slope, dry, 1 inch ht, 50% Kentucky bluegrass, 50% perennial ryegrass, no thatch; soil—moist, 48°F at 1 inch and 47°F at 3 inch; weather—sunny, 54°F, 0-7 mph. Environmental conditions at the time of re-applications on 20 Ma) were as follows: ants — actively building mounds, approximately 3/yd2; turf—3° slope, dry, 1 inch ht, 50% Kentucky bluegrass, 50% perennial ryegrass no thatch; soil — moist, 68°F at 1 inch and 65°F at 3 inch; weather—sunny, 76°F, 0-10mph. Evaluations were done on 20 May, 30 May, 13 Jun, 22 Jul and 26 Aug (18, 28, 42, 81, 116 DAT, respectively) by counting the number of active mounds in two 1-yd2 areas in each plot. Analysis of Variance was done on plot totals and means separated by LSD test (P = 0.5).