Final Report: 2021-2023
Principal Investigator: Doug Walsh, Professor of Entomology
Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center
24106 N. Bunn Rd, Prosser, WA 99350
dwalsh@wsu.edu
Tel. 509.786.9287
Summary: This was a two year project with multiple objectives of screening candidate insecticides for grape mealybug control, learning if grape mealybug in Washington has developed resistance to imidacloprid, and gathering preliminary data on the potential for mating disruption of grape mealybug with sex pheromones. Several candidate insecticides provided significant control of grape mealybug, however, neonicotinyl-based insecticides, for the most part, failed to provide effective control. Controlled laboratory bioassays studies to gauge resistance were inconclusive due to issues developing a consistent methodology with systemic insecticides and difficulty maintaining laboratory colonies of field collected grape mealybug.
Results: The greatest project successes were the pilot studies with pheromone-based mating disruption. Twist tie dispensers provide by Pacific BioControl and Cide-Trak dispensers of Trece provided effective shutdown of male capture in pheromone-baited sentinel traps at rates of 60 twist tie and 32 Cide-Trak dispensers per acre.
Read more by downloading the full report above.