How to Control Sugarcane Beetles
- 1). Plant crops, particularly corn, away from sod and grassy areas that sugarcane beetles like to inhabit. Football, baseball and other sporting fields made of turfgrass are prime habitats for the sugarcane beetle. When planting, always use the highest quality seed, plant early in the season, and fertilize regularly. Growing healthy and vigorous plants makes them naturally resistant to sugarcane beetle infestation.
- 2). Cultivate planted areas frequently. Beetle larva mature underground, and if they are disturbed through regular cultivation and brought up to the surface of the ground, they will die.
- 3). Remove unnecessary lighting in and around the area of beetle infestation. Sugarcane beetles are attracted to light, and removing light sources will limit beetle infestation. Light sources must be shielded to make the light shine downwards, which will attract fewer beetles than lights that shine up and outwards. If light sources cannot not be removed, change to the yellow-tinted "bug light" bulbs around houses and homes. In commercial settings, change to sodium vapor bulbs, particularly around the buildings.
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