@article{hamon_kilpatrick_billeisen_2024, title={The Impact of Wildflower Habitat on Insect Functional Group Abundance in Turfgrass Systems}, volume={15}, ISSN={["2075-4450"]}, DOI={10.3390/insects15070520}, abstractNote={Urbanization is rapidly influencing the abundance and diversity of arthropods. Within urban systems, managed turfgrass is a prominent land cover which can support only a limited number of arthropod groups. To allow for more arthropod biodiversity and to support beneficial insects within turfgrass, increasing numbers of land managers are choosing to partially convert turf habitat to wildflower habitat using commercially available seed mixes. However, the population dynamics of arthropod groups in these systems are poorly known, with consequentially little information on best long-term practices for managing wildflower habitats in turfgrass systems. To address this gap, we sampled insects using pan traps in turfgrass systems pre- and post-implementation of wildflower habitats and examined the change in abundance of several insect families and functional guilds. Insect groups had variable responses to wildflower habitat implementation, with some groups such as sweat bees and skipper butterflies showing a decline two years post-implementation. Other groups, such as predatory flies, were relatively more abundant one and two years post-implementation. These variable responses point to the need for more research on the long-term effects of wildflower habitats on beneficial insects in turfgrass habitats.}, number={7}, journal={INSECTS}, author={Hamon, Laura E. and Kilpatrick, Lauren D. and Billeisen, Terri L.}, year={2024}, month={Jul} }
 @article{billeisen_brandenburg_2016, title={Efficacy of five insecticides targeting spring and fall populations of sugarcane beetle adults}, volume={99}, ISSN={["1938-5102"]}, DOI={10.1653/024.099.0338}, abstractNote={Summary Sugarcane beetle (Euetheola rugiceps LeConte; Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a pest of turfgrass in the southeastern United States. This study was conducted to evaluate the toxicity of 5 products for sugarcane beetle pest management in managed bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.; Poaceae). Spring and fall populations of sugarcane beetle adults were exposed to 4 active ingredients and combinations (bifenthrin, bifenthrin plus clothianidin, carbaryl, clothianidin, and dinotefuran) under greenhouse conditions. At 7 d after treatment, there were no significant differences among insecticide treatments applied to spring beetles at either a low or a high field rate, although all insecticides caused a significant increase in beetle mortality relative to untreated (control) beetles. In contrast, bifenthrin caused significantly greater control of fall populations at the low field rate compared with other treatments. Target population (spring or fall) appears to have more impact on pesticide efficacy than either product selection or application rate.}, number={3}, journal={FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST}, author={Billeisen, Terri and Brandenburg, Rick}, year={2016}, month={Sep}, pages={563–565} }
 @article{billeisen_brandenburg_2016, title={Seasonal Flight Activity of the Sugarcane Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in North Carolina Using Black Light Traps}, volume={45}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, DOI={10.1093/ee/nvw008}, abstractNote={Abstract Seasonal flight activity, adult beetle sex count, and egg production were examined in sugarcane beetles Euetheola rugiceps (LeConte) caught in light traps in North Carolina from the fall of 2009 through the summer of 2014. A regression model using variable environmental conditions as predictive parameters was developed to examine the impact of these conditions on flight activity. Depending on flight trap location and sampling years, beetles exhibited an inconsistent flight pattern, with the majority of adults flying in the spring (April–June) and intermittently in the fall (September–October). Our model indicated that larger numbers of adults collected from traps coincided with an increase in average soil temperature. Sugarcane beetles also exhibit a synchronous emergence during both periods of flight activity. Eggs were detected in females collected from light traps every week throughout the entire sampling period. The majority of females produced 7–12 eggs, with most egg production occurring between 15 May and 1 August. The findings of this research provide adult sugarcane beetle emergence and flight behavior information necessary to determine optimal pesticide application timing.}, number={2}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Billeisen, T. L. and Brandenburg, R. L.}, year={2016}, month={Apr}, pages={465–471} }