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Patricia J. Vittum

Professor of Entomology
Department of Plant, Soil & Insect Sciences
Agricultural Enginerring Building 104
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003
Tel. (413) 545-0268
pvittum@ent.umass.edu
www.umassturf.org

Education

Ph.D. 1980, Cornell University

Click HERE to view Dr. Vittum's Full Curriculum Vitae

Specialties

• Turfgrass Insects
• Biological Control
• Insect Behavior
• Insect Population Ecology
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Pesticide Application Technology

My area of expertise is the biology and management of turfgrass insects. Outreach and teaching activities are a direct extension of my research efforts. Current areas of interest include:

• the biology and ecology of white grubs (Japanese beetles and other scarab larvae), including distribution and behavioral differences of four key species
  
• the population dynamics of the annual bluegrass weevil (Listronotus maculicollis)
  
• refining a degree day-based model to predict development of the annual bluegrass weevil
  
• biological control of annual bluegrass weevils, including entomopathogenic nematodes , spinosyns, and various strains of Bacillus thuringiensis
  
• biological control of white grubs, including insect growth regulators, entomopathogenic nematodes, and bacteria
  
• the effects of traditional turf insecticides on non-target arthropods
  
• spatial distribution of turfgrass ants (Lasius neoniger) and management strategies to minimize damage to turf

Outreach/Extension

Pesticide Co-ordinator

Chair, UMass Turfgrass Team

invited speaker at numerous regional and national turf conferences each year

author of numerous fact sheets and articles for state newsletters and national trade journals each year

senior author of Turfgrass Insects of the United States and Canada, widely considered to be the bible of turfgrass entomology

Teaching

PLSOILIN 107 (Turf Entomology) – for first year students in the Stockbridge School (associate’s degree program) and four-year turf majors; 2 credits; taught EVERY SPRING

PLSOILIN 342 / ENVIRSCI 342 (Pesticides, Public Policy, and the Environment) – for juniors and seniors in the Environmental Science program and related fields; 3 credits; taught EVERY FALL

PLNTSOIL 597V (Integrated Turfgrass Management) – restricted to senior Turf majors and graduate students; 3 credits; taught EVERY SPRING

Selected Publications

Books

Vittum, Patricia J., Michael G. Villani, and Haruo Tashiro. 1999. Turfgrass insects of the United States and Canada, Second Edition. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, ca. 440 pp. In press.

Schumann, Gail L., Patricia J. Vittum, Monica L. Elliott, and Patricia P. Cobb. 1997. Handbook of integrated pest management for golf courses. Lewis Publishers, Ann Arbor Press, Ann Arbor, MI. 290 pp.

Refereed journal articles

Vittum, P. J., and M. R. McNeill. 1999. Suitability of Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) as a host for Microctonus hyperodae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). J. Econ. Entomol. Submitted 8 May 1998.

Vittum, P. J. 1994. Enhanced efficacy of isazophos against Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) grubs using subsurface placement technology. J. Econ. Entomol. 87: 162-167.

Vittum, P. J., and H. Tashiro. 1987. Seasonal activity of Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on annual bluegrass. J. Econ. Entomol. 80: 773-780.

Vittum, P. J. 1986. Biology of the Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in eastern Massachusetts. J. Econ. Entomol. 79: 387-391.

Additional Publications are listed on Dr. Vittum's Full CV