Predatory arthropods in high-and low-maintenance turfgrass

Predatory arthropods were sampled in high-maintenance Kentucky bluegrass lawns (lawns under commercial lawn care), low-maintenance Kentucky bluegrass lawns (under minimal care), and low-maintenance tall-fescue lawns. In general, tall fescue supported fewer predators than Kentucky bluegrass, specifically the families Erigonidae, Linyphiidae, and Carabidae. Populations of Erigonidae, Linyphiidae, and Carabidae were lower in high-maintenance bluegrass than in low-maintenance bluegrass. The carabids Amara cupreolata Putzeys, Agonum punctiformum (Say), and Harpalus (Pseudophonus) spp., and a staphylinid, Philonthus sp., were particularly uncommon in high-maintenance sites. Hierarchical classification of sites suggested that the structure of the staphylinid and carabid communities differs in tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass turf, and differs in high-and low-maintenance bluegrass.