Predictive model for strawberry bud weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) adults in strawberry fields

Three different sampling methods (sweep net, D-Vac, tapping into a carton container) were evaluated for Anthonomus signatus Say in strawberry fields. The results suggest that sampling with a sweep net reflects population numbers best. A predictive model for adult abundance was developed to describe and predict population build-up. The strawberry fields used in the study were in their 2nd yr of production. Overwintering adults generally begin to appear in a strawberry field approximate to 300 cumulatitive degree-days (DD) calculated from 1 April at temperatures above 0 degrees C. These weevils attain maximum abundance anywhere from 500 to 670 DD. Within that interval, a treatment with cypermethrin or chlorpyriphos was effective against this pest. The summer generation attained maximum abundance anywhere from 1,250 to 1,650 DD. A treatment with chlorpyriphos at 1,679 DD reduced the summer generation of weevils and decreased clipped buds in the field the following year.