What is the Annual Bluegrass Weevil?

The annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) is one of the most troublesome insect pests of golf courses in the northeastern United States.

Originally recognized as a pest of highly maintained annual bluegrass in the metropolitan New York region, including eastern Connecticut and northern New Jersey, the ABW is now damaging turf throughout all of the New England states, as far south as areas of Virginia and as far west as eastern Ohio.

Adult weevils move onto golf courses from adjacent overwintering sites in mid-spring and feed on annual bluegrass.

Females lay eggs of the first generation larvae in the leaf sheaths of that host plant during late April through May.

Larvae cause extensive turf damage from late May through mid-June.

First generation adults emerge in June and July, and the cycle is repeated.

As the summer progresses, all life stages of the weevil may be present at any time, making control more difficult.