Granular Bait Applications for Management of Rangeland Grasshoppers Using a Remotely Piloted Aerial Application System
Roberto Rodriguez,
Derek A. Woller,
Daniel E. Martin,
K. Chris Reuter,
Lonnie R. Black,
Mohamed A. Latheef,
Kiara M. López Colón,
Mason Taylor
Affiliations
Roberto Rodriguez
Department of Aeronautical Science, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, 200 West Kawili Street Room 273a, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
Derek A. Woller
USDA APHIS PPQ Pest Exclusion and Import Programs—Imports, Regulations, and Manuals—Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, Riverdale, MD 20737, USA
Daniel E. Martin
USDA ARS Aerial Application Technology Research Unit, College Station, TX 77845, USA
K. Chris Reuter
Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Management Team, USDA APHIS PPQ Science and Technology Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Phoenix, AZ 85040, USA
Lonnie R. Black
Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Management Team, USDA APHIS PPQ Science and Technology Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Phoenix, AZ 85040, USA
Mohamed A. Latheef
USDA ARS Aerial Application Technology Research Unit, College Station, TX 77845, USA
Kiara M. López Colón
Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Management Team, USDA APHIS PPQ Science and Technology Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Phoenix, AZ 85040, USA
Mason Taylor
Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Management Team, USDA APHIS PPQ Science and Technology Insect Management and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Phoenix, AZ 85040, USA
Rangeland grasshoppers are an endemic species that play an essential role in the rangeland ecosystem but can cause severe economic damage when populations reach outbreak levels. Remotely piloted aerial application systems (RPAASs) offer an alternative method to carry out aerial insecticide applications in relatively small areas. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a granular bait, 2% Sevin (with the active ingredient carbaryl), applied by an RPAAS. The bait was applied on four replicated 4.05-hectare (10-acre) plots at a rate of 2.27 kg/ha (5 lbs/acre) with an RPAAS on a private ranch in New Mexico. Applications resulted in a normalized population reduction of 70.32% ± 16.54% standard error of the mean (SEM) of bait-susceptible species. Although some of the observed reduction in population may be attributed to aging, the net effect was most likely due to the ingestion of bait based on field observations of rapid mortality after ingestion and other factors, like past experience with carbaryl bait treatments on grasshoppers. Plots required at least two flights due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) maximum takeoff weight requirement for small RPAASs. Combined, these results indicate that RPAASs can provide treatment capabilities in relatively small areas, i.e., population hotspots, preferably before outbreak levels are reached.
