v»EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
June Bugs Invade Links
Army Wins Battle, Loses War, Retreats,
Finally Wins with New Tactics
June beetle larvae infested an Aberdeen Proving Ground golf course,
severely damaging the turf. Applications of insecticide finally killed the
larvae, but the resulting odor of decaying insects closed the course. Golf
course managers needed a new approach.
Background
The reduction of risks from exposure to pests
and pesticides continues as a major goal for pest
management in the 21st Century. The Ruggles Golf
Course, a military troop-support recreation facility
funded without tax dollars, had a long-standing
problem with green June beetle larvae. The larvae
infested the fairways, greens, and driving range,
leaving mounds of dirt and damaging the turf. In
an attempt to avoid turf damage, golf course staff
would spray the complete course with long-lasting
(3-4 months) pesticides in May and June to disrupt
the molting and development of the
larvae during the summer
and fall. Reapplication was
often needed. Insecticides
were applied to many areas
of the course with inconsistent
long term success. In the fall
of 1995, intense spraying at the
Ruggles Golf Course resulted in
oo
hundreds of thousands of dead
larvae, which produced such
an odor that the course was
closed. The closure resulted in
loss of revenue, bad publicity, and
staffing changes.
Broadcast spraying of long-lasting
pesticides is of concern due to
their potential to leach into and
contaminate groundwater. Due to the location of Ruggles
Golf Course, there was also the potential of surface runoff
carrying pesticides into Chesapeake Bay. The increased
pesticide use hindered progress of the Army's Measure of
Merit to reduce pesticide use by 50% between 1993 and
2000, and strained the course's budget. The application
of long-lasting pesticides as preventive treatments violated
the principles of Integrated Pest Management or IPM
(minimization of pesticide use through careful evaluation).
An innovative solution was needed quickly.
m
/* kontCounty
-------
Implications
New Methods Developed
Beetles, Pesticides & Golf Courses
Green June beetles are known to be one of the top five
insect pests on military golf courses and have been ranked
as one of the most common golf course pests in the Eastern
United States. Green June beetle larvae (grubs) kill the grass by
eating its roots. Large patches of dead turf can be rolled up like
a carpet, become unsightly, hinder play, and contribute to erosion.
Because quality turf is essential to golf courses, managers apply
hundreds of thousands of pounds of insecticides annually in an attempt
to eradicate the larvae before and after burrowing begins. Golf course
managers often apply pesticides over entire golf courses, not just on the
high maintenance areas such as the greens and tees.
There are approximately 200 18-hole military golf courses in the United
States; all operate with non-taxpayer funds. In the Army, golf courses
are a $100 million business. They are very profitable and those profits
often go to fund other military community outreach programs. Pest
management requires significant use of pesticides and an ever-increasing
annual expenditure for labor.
At Ruggles Golf Course, the cost of pesticides to treat the larvae was
approximately $45/acre. It took several days to spray the infested area
of the golf course. When pesticides are applied in the late summer or
early fall (larvae are large at that time of year), the larvae come to the
surface to die. The decomposing larvae emit a strong odor, attract
gulls and songbirds (which can be poisoned by the chemicals
in the larvae), and make the course unplayable. In 1995, this
caused the Ruggles course to be closed for a week and
reoccurring infestations continued to damage the turf and
the course's finances.
Space segment
The Army's Center for Health Promotion and
Preventive Medicine, Entomological Sciences
Program, has a mission to protect military
personnel from diseases transmitted to humans
from other living organisms (vector-borne) and
to minimize the risk to human health and the
environment from the use of pesticides. As
part of this mission, they provided technical
advice to Army installations. This program
follows the concept of Integrated Pest
Management (IPM), which is designed
to provide long-term management of
pests, not temporary eradication of
them. IPM is the coordinated use
of pest and environmental information
with available pest control methods
to prevent unacceptable levels of pest
damage by the most economical means
and with the least possible hazard to
people, property, and the environment.
Because pest problems are often
symptomatic of ecological imbalances, the
goal is to attempt to plan and manage
ecosystems to prevent organisms from
becoming pests. Critical to IPM is extensive
knowledge of the timing of pest life cycles,
methods to estimate damage thresholds, when
remedial action must be taken, and availability of
selective treatments.
Uplink data
• Satellite ephemeris pc
• Clock-correction facto
•Atmospheric data
•Almanac /
Downlink data
• Coded ranging signals
• Position information
• Atmospheric data
• Almanac
consists of earth-orbiting
satellites, ground stations,
and a portable receiver
(plane, ship, car, hand-held).
The position of the receiver
can be determined any time,
anywhere, in any weather by
knowing its distance from at
least four of the satellites.
The calculation of the
position of the receiver is
made possible by knowing the precise location of the satellites at any given time and how long it
takes a radio signal to reach the receiver from each of the satellites. The position of the receiver
is given in latitude, longitude, and altitude. The precise location of each satellite is determined
in a similar manner using the stationary ground stations. New technology in the 1990s allowed
affordable, accurate, hand-held GPS receivers to be developed.
http://www.aem.org/publications/GPSPRIMER/GPSEIements.Mml
Illustration courtesy of The Aerospace Corporation
-------
The Entomological Sciences Program has
a long-term working relationship with the
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Beginning
in the 1970s, the ARS recommended
identifying areas where pests live and breed
at maximum concentrations and targeting
those areas for treatment. This would greatly
reduce the amount of pesticide necessary
to control the pests, while also reducing
the environmental impact. In the 1990s,
the advancement of the global positioning
system (GPS) and geographic information
systems (GIS) provided ARS with a new
technology to locate and map the areas with
the highest concentrations of pests. In 1996
ARS received funding from the Strategic
Environmental Research and Development
Program (SERDP), a partnership between
the Department of Defense (DoD), the
Department of Energy, and the Environmental
Protection Agency, to develop new software
and conduct pilot projects using GPS and
GIS to pinpoint concentrations of pests.
In 1998 a partnership between the U.S.
Army Environmental Center, the ARS, and
the Strategic Environmental Research and
Development Program was formed to test the
new methods using GPS and GIS at several
military sites. Army golf courses were some of
the first of these sites. Agricultural Research
Service used GPS and GIS to locate and map
the areas with the highest concentrations of
pests.
Green June beetle Life Cycle
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
Illustration courtesy of: Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities)
Using an Arc View GIS platform, the ARS team developed Preci-
sion and Spatial Analysis software designed for field data col-
lection, data visualization, and field application. Staff can locate
concentrations of pests on the golf course using a coordinate
system or a GPS and then record their location on a pen tablet
or pocket PC. The software can then be used to produce maps
pinpointing the location and contouring the density of the pests.
Other data such as percent soil-moisture, soil type, land-use, plant
type, and man-made features can be collected and produced as GIS
layers. Staff can use the Precision Targeting and Spatial Analysis
software to combine the additional GIS layers with the location of
concentrations of pests for visual display on maps. These maps can
then be used to target the precise locations of pest concentrations
that need to be treated with pesticides. By targeting the areas to
be treated, rather than a broadcast application of the complete golf
course, the amount of pesticide used can be greatly reduced.
GIS
POST-TOEATMENT CONTOUR MAP
is a computer system capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying
geographically referenced information, from many different sources, in many different
forms. The primary requirement for the source data is that the locations for
the variables are known. Location may be longitude, latitude, and elevation, ZIP
codes, highway mile markers, or other
grid systems. Any variable that can be
located spatially can be fed into a
GIS. Different kinds of data in map
form can be entered into a GIS. A
GIS can also convert existing digital
information, which may not yet be in
map form, into forms it can recognize
and use. By storing data digitally, a
GIS map can combine many layers
of information. In the 1990s, powerful
personal computers and software
packages designed for the layperson
have brought GIS from the realm of the
researcher and government to a variety
of businesses, local communities, and
environmental organizations.
http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/gis_poster/index.html
Illustration courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey
-------
Pilot Test at Ruggles Golf Course
Using a military GPS receiver and a pen tablet for data entry, the
researchers were successful in finding green June beetle larvae locations
on several fairways on the golf course at Fort Meade. Researchers from
the Entomological Science Program then used the Precision Targeting and
Spatial Analysis software to map the locations where green June beetle
larvae numbers exceeded treatment thresholds. The concept worked! The
next step was to apply the technology to the pilot project at Ruggles Golf
Course the following year.
The pilot project began in August 1999, after the larvae had molted several
times. The larvae were 1.5 to 2 inches in length and tunneling/mounding
activity was visible on the surface of the turf-grass. Using the military
GPS and pen tablet, the researchers mapped the features of the course,
including the fairway-rough interface, sand traps, sprinklers, and fairway
distance markers. The 18th fairway was mapped in about four hours. Then
the larvae infestations were mapped. To do this in a repeatable manner,
a hoop (50 inch diameter) was placed over an area and the number of
mounds within that circle were counted. The process was repeated over the
entire fairway and surrounding roughs to obtain a density of larvae at each
location. The area and density numbers were entered into the GPS system.
Finally, a map of the golf course showing the beetle larvae density and
locations was created. Boxes were drawn around the areas that were
most heavily infested (equal to or exceeding six green June beetle larvae
mounds per hoop). This amounted to about 20% of the fairway and
surrounding rough. These areas were targeted for pesticide application.
The map focused on key landmarks (fairway-rough interface, bunkers,
distance markers, sprinklers), making it easier for a grounds keeper driving
the sprayer to locate the areas to be sprayed.
Adult green June bee
50-inch diameter measuring hoop
Dead larvae next to golf ball
Green June beetle larva
The next day, the map of the 18th fairway
was given to the Ruggles Golf Course
superintendent who then applied the pesticide.
The pesticide used for these sprayings was
an organophosphate. Spraying in the morning
resulted in dead larvae by the afternoon.
The golf course superintendent chose this
chemical because it was on-hand, was quick
acting, and had low persistence in the
environment.
Since only 20% of the fairway had to be
sprayed, it was accomplished in one run,
well within the early morning window, and
in significantly less time than a broadcast
application over the entire fairway and
adjacent roughs would have taken.
Researchers tracked the sprayer and marked
where the applicator actually sprayed, which
was a slightly smaller area than had been
mapped. The spraying was as effective as
broadcast spraying in reducing the larvae
infestation and resulted in significant time and
cost savings.
-------
18th Fairway, Ruggles Golf Course
Recommendation: Apply
pesticides only to areas with
sufficient moisture and depth of
thatch in the early summer when
the larvae are small.
RED yardage marker
• sprinkler
I
» sprinkler
\
sprinkler • . sprinkler
| Fairway/Rough Boundary |
The superintendent was very satisfied with
the successful results on the 18th fairway,
and other fairways were mapped and
sprayed with similar pesticide reductions
and success. The superintendent asked to
have the driving range done in September.
The driving range is a larger area (12
acres) with lower quality grass, so it was
expensive to broadcast spray the whole field.
The range was mapped in the same manner with
similar spray area reductions. The driving range
was heavily infested and the precision targeted
spraying resulted in a large number of dead larvae
on the range. However, it successfully solved the
infestation and Ruggles Golf Course did not have
significant recurrence of larvae in the following
years. Thus, the long-term effectiveness of the
targeted application was better than the broadcast
spraying that had been conducted the previous 6
years, was less expensive, and posed a reduced
environmental risk.
Researchers also tested several variables to
determine if there were other factors that could
predict areas with a high probability of green
June beetle larvae and other types of grubs.
A good correlation between soil moisture and
larvae was found and it was determined that
there was a minimum level of thatch necessary
for the larvae. Based on this information, the
recommended method is application of pesticides
only to areas with sufficient moisture and depth
of thatch in the early summer when the larvae
are small. This reduces the need to broadcast
persistent pesticides over the golf course early
in the spring, avoids the damage associated
with tunneling activities of the larger grubs, and
reduces problems associated with high numbers
of large, dead larvae on the golf course.
-------
Results
The main success of the program was 95% control of the green June beetle larvae obtained by treating 20 to 30% of
the acres compared to a normal broadcast application. Significant cost savings from reduced pesticide use and reduced
labor means that investment in the technology pays back after two years or two applications. Other benefits include
the ability to use pesticides with less persistence in the environment, less worker and golfer exposure to chemicals,
and reduced labor time.
. .
Annual Cost Savings
(per 18 hole golf course + driving range, ~ 750 acres)
Pesticide reduction $5400
$45/acrex 150 acresx80%pesticide reduction
Reduced labor for spraying $900
0.25/acrex 150 acres x$30/hrx 80% time saved
Reduced use of sprayer
S15/hrx0.25hrs/acrex ISOacres
Labor to map course
0.75 hrs/acrex 150 acresx$30/hr
$560
- $3380
TOTAL $3480
Implementation Cost
~"?
Handheld computer
with GPS and accessories
ArcViewTM software
FarmWorksTM software
SERDP software
Training and Setup
-40 hours x$30/hour
$1000
$3700
$500
$0
$1200
TOTAL $6400
Return on Investment = Implementation/Annual Savings ~2 years
Percent Return on Investment -50%
Assumes only one application per year for this technology, although
many other uses are possible
The technology has changed significantly since 1999.
Implementation costs for the Ruggles Golf Course project were
significantly higher than they would be today. GPS technology
has become widely available at significantly less cost than the
system used in 1999. Thus, in preparing a simple return on
investment analysis, the prices for a modern GPS were used.
The most current version of the Precision Targeting software is
available by contacting ARS (see contact information on back
cover).
Reaction to the program has been very positive and there was
general consensus that the program should be implemented at
other DoD facilities. (This would require development of a
technical users' guide, a plan for cost-effective implementation
at the base level, and an education/information program.) The
Entomological Sciences Program staff has improved on the
technology by upgrading to the newer GPS and handheld
computers. The Ruggles Golf Course superintendent and
business manager were both pleased with the results. The golf
course and the superintendent received positive publicity about
the project, including an award. The superintendent felt that the
original system was complex, but has since become familiar
with handheld PCs and the use of commercial GPS based
technology and he has expressed particular interest in expanding
its use to target invasive weeds, such as clover and nutsedge,
for treatment.
Based on the results of this and the other pilot studies
mentioned, the team received the inaugural "Pollution
Prevention Project of the Year" award in December 1999,
from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development
Service.
The Entomological Sciences Program and Army Environmental Center staff would like to expand the use of this
technique to other military golf courses and other areas where pesticides are used.
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary
Program for Golf Courses
www. audubonintl. org/programs/acss/golf.htm
U.S. Golf Association
www. usga. org/home. html
'GREEN" GOLF COURSES
A growing trend at some golf courses across the United States is
to make them environmentally friendly. Jointly sponsored by the
U.S. Golf Association and Audubon International, the Audubon
Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) for Golf Courses is a
comprehensive program of land and water conservation, and
minimization of chemical use designed to promote environmental
stewardship of the land used for golf courses. Golf courses can
participate at various levels in ACSP and those that fulfill a set of
strict requirements can be certified as sanctuaries. Over 2300 golf
courses participate in the program and about 300 are certified. A
growing number of military golf courses are enrolled and several
have attained sanctuary status.
-------
a\ Environmental concerns of the Army s
Morale Welfare and Recreation Division
Belief in the use of integrated pest
management to minimize risks
associated with the use of
chemicals to control pests
Good public relations created by reducing
the use of pesticides
The DoD Measure of Merit
requiring a 50% reduction in
pesticide use and a written pest
management plan with
established thresholds
Willingness to support and use a new
technology
/•) Understanding of the behavior and lifecycle
IS of the beetle
A3 Funding to develop the software
Materials and labor cost savings
CHEMICALS AND GOLF COURSES
At over 16,000 golf courses in the United States, pesticides (i.e.,
herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, plant growth regulators) and
fertilizers are used intensively to maintain the fairways, tees, and
greens. This is often done through broadcast application of chemicals
over large acreages on the golf course. Runoff from these chemicals
into streams and groundwater can be a source of surface and
groundwater pollution, exacerbated by the fact that many golf courses
are located in areas with shallow aquifers and most courses have
surface-water features as hazards. In addition, pesticides have an
adverse impact on aquatic life and insects treated with pesticides can
poison birds that eat them. Research also suggests that insecticides
can be harmful to humans.
As a non-point source of pollution, golf courses
are not as heavily regulated or studied as point
sources are, although this is slowly changing. The
Environmental Protection Agency cites one study
that showed that more than 50% of the nitrogen
in fertilizer leached from the turf when improperly
applied. A Japanese study found that the pesticides
from a golf course reaching surface drainage and
groundwater ranged from less than 4% up to 23%
depending on the pesticide; another study found
rates between 9% and 15%. Yet, other reviews
have shown less severe impacts. More research
needs to be done, but most agree that minimizing
chemical usage is the most effective first step to
reducing environmental and human health impacts.
FACTORS NECESSARY FOR
SUCCESS OF A NEW PROJECT
Currently spending over $5,000
per year for broad application
of pesticides and/or herbicides
to treat specific turf problems
(this would provide a minimum 2
year payback on the technology
investment)
Purchase of a handheld
GPS, handheld computer, and
associated software
Willingness and time to learn
to use GPS, handheld computers,
and GIS-based software
- Management and staff support
and commitment to minimizing
pesticide usage
-------
a*
MWR
MORALE • WELFARE • RECREATION
EPA Region 3
Philadelphia, PA
EPA/903/F-03/005
June 2003
U.S. EPA
Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment
Patricia Bradley
bradley.patricia@epa.gov
410-305-2744
Environmental Science Center
701 Mapes Road
Ft. Meade, MD 20755-5350
www.epa.gov/maia
U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion
and Preventive Medicine
Entomological Sciences Program
Joseph T. Harkins
joseph.harkins@apg.amedd.army.mil
410-436-3613
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento/
U.S. Army Environmental Center
Conservation Division
Dr. Steven Bennett
steven.beffliett@aec.apgea.army.mil
410-436-1565
http://aec.army.mil/usaec/conservation
U.S. EPA Pesticide Environmental
Stewardship Program
Glenn Williams
williams.gleffli@epa.gov
703-308-8287
http://www.epa.gov/oppbppdl/PESP/
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Richard Brenner
richard.brefflier@nps.ars.usda.gov
301-504-6905
http://www.ars.usda.gov/
U.S. Army MWR - Ruggles Golf Course
http://www.apgmwr.com/recreation/golf.html
University of Maryland - Baltimore
TI y|T)/^~i university 01 iviaryiaiiu - r>
UJVlDV-/ County, Center for Urban
Environmental Research and
CUERE Education
Jill Engel-Cox
engelcoxj@battelle.org
703-875-2144
www.umbc.edu/cuere
Pest Management
in the 21st Century
The reduction of risks from exposure to pests and
pesticides continues as a major goal for pest management
in the 21st Century.
CIS computerized precision targeting software could play
a major role in achieving this goal. As applied to pest
management in this study, ArcView™ with the Precision
Targeting Extension provided a standardized system that
supported,documented and verified pest infestations and
targeted intervention strategies that managed pests and
pesticides, thereby reducing pesticide use,exposures, risks
and associated costs. Under an Interagency Agreement
between EPA's Pesticide Environmental Stewardship
Program (PESP) and USDA's Agricultural Research Service
(ARS),ARS applied the technology to military, residential
and commercial indoor and outdoor integrated pest
management strategies for insect pests such as lone star
ticks, German cockroaches, mosquitoes, red imported fire
ants, pharaoh ants, Indian meal moths,diamondback
moth, medfly as well as the June beetle white grubs in the
Ruggles Golf Course project reported here. In these
demonstrations, ArcView™ CIS precision targeting with
Integrated Pest Management, using least toxic methods,
reduced pesticide use from 60 to 100%, increased efficacy
and reduced costs.The technology was also applied to
mitigating exposures of inner city children to cockroach
and dust mite allergens that have been associated with
asthma and to lead dust from lead-based paints that may
cause neurological damage in children.
MAIA Best Management Practices
Case Studies Course
Organizations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region
have developed and implemented unique approaches
to respond to environmental problems and concerns.
The Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA) has
also conducted considerable research in the region,
much of which has been used by environmental
managers to meet their responsibilities.
MAIA and UMBC initiated a graduate-level
research seminar where students document these
success stories so that other managers and
organizations can also use these approaches and
research.
J^z Printed on chlorine free 100% recycled paper with
X^y 100% post-consumer fiber using vegetable-based ink.
------- |