A Prairie-wide initiative will once again offer guidance to farmers about the spread of insect pests.
The first update from the Insect Pest Monitoring Network was published online at the start of June. Weekly updates will follow.
With the support of industry, producer and government groups, the organization provides risk warnings for pests like flea beetles, cutworms and bertha armyworms, as well as maps and interpretive data regarding precipitation, economic thresholds for insecticide applications and beneficial management practices.
“Producers need to be watchful for insect pests occurring in younger crop stages in fields that had to be seeded later due to snow melt and standing water,” states the first report.
It also notes the appearance of cutworms in southern Alberta, beginning in mid-April, as well as recent reports from Saskatchewan.
The updates can be viewed at www.westernforum.org/IPMNWeeklyUpdates.html. The initiative is part of the Western Forum on Pest Management, which oversees committees serving as advisory bodies to provincial governments in Western Canada.
