Farmers in Alberta’s Peace River area may have the worst insect battle in the province this crop year, according to Grande Prairie’s crop specialist.
“I don’t know if we were overdue or what, but the insect gods are smiling on us,” said John Huffman of Alberta Agriculture.
Bertha armyworms and lygus bugs are both potential pests for areas south of Manning, he said.
“If we don’t get a freak snowstorm we could be looking at a lygus problem,” said Huffman, adding area farmers sprayed about 350,000 crop acres for the critters last year.
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As well, bertha armyworms could be a problem because parasite levels are lower than hoped at around 35 percent. Levels of around 60 percent would have brought the worms under better control, said Huffman. But this will likely be the last year the worms bring trouble to the area.
“It’s the typical predator-prey cycle.”
Jim Jones, provincial entomologist, said agriculture officials monitor the cycle by setting out a network of traps from June until August. By analyzing years of data they can look at parasite levels to predict whether an outbreak is expected.
“In the Peace Country, levels in the south Peace don’t seem to be high enough to indicate the cycle is finished.”
A mild winter that brought plenty of snow cover is another reason for potential problems, said Huffman, adding his area is the only part of the province that has significant potential for a bertha outbreak.
“The probability is there,” said Huffman.
He recommends farmers budget to spray their crops for lygus bugs and bertha armyworms with insecticides, which typically cost $10 to $15 an acre.
“If the outbreak doesn’t happen it’s 10 extra dollars in your pocket. But otherwise it can come as a bit of a surprise.”
The economic threshold for lygus bugs is three bugs for two sweeps of a net, and he recommends farmers spray for armyworms if there are more than 16 per square metre.
Last summer, one field in the Wanham area had 100 bertha armyworms per square metre. The bugs turned about 140 acres of canola white before the farmer could spray.
“If he would have sprayed it would have been for revenge.”
This crop year, Peace-area farmers should be out sweeping and monitoring their crops in mid to late July, said Jones.
The same insecticides work for bertha armyworms and lygus bugs so farmers should be able to spray for both at the same time, he added. The perfect time to spray is after lygus bugs have hatched and bertha armyworms haven’t touched crop pods.
“There is a window of opportunity to hit both populations at once.”
