Black Turfgrrass ataenius/Black Fairway Beetle(Ataenius spretulus)Common Name: Black Turfgrrass ataenius/Black Fairway Beetle
Latin Name: Ataenius spretulus
Appearance:
Adult beetles are cylindrical, black, and approximately a quarter of an inch long.
The larvae are only 6 mm long, white, C-shaped, soft-bodied, and elongated, with three pairs of legs, similar to other turf-feeding white grubs.
Unlike other white grubs, the posterior end of the body has two broad lobes rather than a raster pattern of light spines
. Ataenius grubs are thin and less robust than other white grubs, reaching only approximately 1/4 inch in length.
Three pairs of legs: Ataenius beetles can be reddish-brown in hue. The first few days after emerging from their pupae in the ground, They will remain black for the rest of their lives.
Host plant:
Poa annua, bentgrass and perennial bluegrass are host plants.
Territory:
Black Turfgrrass ataenius is a native insect in North America. In other parts of the world, related insects cause difficulties on golf course grass.
Damages caused by Black Turfgrrass ataenius/Black Fairway Beetle:
Larval damage is most likely in the wettest grass sections, such as fairways and greens. Because the roots of the grass plants are eaten, the blades wilt and turn brown. Because few roots are left to keep heavily injured grass anchored to the earth, it rips back like a carpet from the dirt.
Life history and habits:
Black Turfgrrrass ataenius adults overwinter in woodlots and fly into the turf in May and June to deposit eggs in the thatch. This is for the first generation. These larvae pupate and emerge as 1/4-inch long, black to brownish, cylindrical beetles later in July. The insects can be found in the clippings baskets of lawn mowers. They mate and deposit eggs, which hatch into a new generation of larvae that feed throughout the remainder of the summer. Black Turfgrass Ataenius. The second generation of grubs, as well as bigger turf-feeding grubs like masked chafer and Japanese beetle, are present between August and September. This second-generation pupates and emerges in the fall as black beetles that fly to woodland regions to overwinter.
