Pest Tracker has been a hugely influential initiative in understanding when turf pests are most active in their life cycle and has been crucial for management action timing. That includes both cultural control techniques and to optimise application timing for ACELEPRYN and NEMATRIDENT treatments.
Research and experience has repeatedly shown that for leatherjacket control treatment are most effective when targeted at leatherjacket larvae in the early larval stages, soon after egg hatch.
Best results have consistently been achieved with ACELEPRYN application at peak of egg laying by crane fly, to have the maximum concentration of insecticide in the soil zone when the eggs hatch. NEMATRIDENT applications should be made a week later.
Pest Tracker has captured successive years of monitoring records by greenkeepers, turf managers and advisors across the UK as to when crane fly have been active. It has built up an invaluable data set of insect activity and a useful picture of when and where egg laying is occurring.
Results highlighted that over four years of monitoring, the peak flights consistently fell within a two week period.
Armed with this data, greenkeepers can be confident in timing ACELEPRYN applications at the end of the peak flight period, towards the end of October, with NEMATRIDENT applications within 7 days.