How to Control Rodent and Insect

The greenkeeper is fortunate in that he is not unduly required to pinch pennies when it comes to selecting and using effective control measures. Furthermore, he is fortunate in having available reasonably satisfactory control measures for most of the insect and rodent pests that are likely to infest or seriously damage turf grasses. Unfortunately, however, prophylactic or preventive measures are frequently more effective than remedial measures and if these preventive treatments are not applied as a matter of policy or insurance, the greenkeeper frequently finds himself face to face with an emergency problem for which there is no immediate answer. Furthermore, since injured turf cannot be immediately restored, it is extremely important that all insect outbreaks be discovered in their incipient stages and control measures, either prophylactic or remedial, must be applied before noticeable or conspicuous damage has occurred. This, of course, means that the greenkeeper must at all times be on the alert and detect insect activity or damage in the e r f f l x j » \ » l ^ x A P ^ f . In the practical consideration of insect control, it is frequently customary to divide insect pests into two groups. Chewing insects, which actually devour portions of the plant, are usually, though not always, most easily controlled by insecticides collectively referred to as stomach poisons; and sucking insects, which insert stylet-like mouth parts into the plant and extract the plant's juices, are usually controlled by so-called contact insecticides. The chewing insects which infest turf grasses can be further divided into those which feed upon the foliage and those which feed on the roots of the plant. Then, of course, we have a fourth group of so-called nuisance pests, such as ants and earthworms, which do not feed upon the plants but are objectionable because of the mounds or casts that they leave on the green. While it is always desirable to determine the specific identity of the insect you are attempting to control, this is not always essential. Very often the proper placing of an insect m one of the four categories just mentioned will automatically suggest an appropriate control measure. For example, most leaf-eating forms will respond to applications of lead arsenate or other suitable stomach poisons and most sucking insects will be destroyed by the same general types of contact insecticides. y