Entomopathogenic nematodes and neonicotinoids for remedial control of oriental beetle, Anomala orientalis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in highbush blueberry

A series of greenhouse and field assays evaluated two entomopathogenic nematode species and two neonicotinoid insecticides for remedial control of third-instar oriental beetle, Anomala (=Exomala) orientalis (Waterhouse), in highbush blueberry. In two greenhouse and two field assays, Steinernema scarabaei Stock & Koppenhöfer provided 50–95% control, the effect of imidacloprid varied from no effect to 60% control, and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar and thiamethoxam were ineffective. The combination of imidacloprid with S. scarabaei or H. bacteriophora was not more effective than the better of imidacloprid or nematode alone. S. scarabaei, should it become commercially available, could be an effective and economic alternative to preventive control with imidacloprid.