With rice fields across the state going to flood, rice water weevils are making their appearance, and the window of opportunity for control is short.
If adult rice water weevils are present, foliar insecticide applications must be made within five to seven days of flood establishment to achieve maximum control. Alternative methods are costly.
Because rice water weevils favor open water, researchers recommend sweeping 50 to 60 feet away from levee furrows to get an accurate idea of populations. A threshold based on presence of adults is currently in the works, but growers should be prepared to spray a foliar insecticide if there is a high population of adults present.
