Farmers are urged to make sure they are dealing with a pest variety of hopper before they decide to spray.
“The good news is if you have millions you don’t have to know (which species),” said Dan Johnson from the University of Lethbridge. “If you have millions, they are definitely pests. None of the naturally occurring ones out on the rangeland that feed birds and participate in the ecosystem ever form millions.”
Tag Archives crop pests
Consider moisture before spraying flea beetle
“Canola can take a lot of damage before you actually need to spray. The conditions that make me worried for flea beetles though, are the hot and dry conditions because that makes the flea beetle bites on the plants worse. When it’s hot and dry, the plant can’t compensate for having these holes in it and then the holes lead to increased drying,” said Tyler Wist, an Agriculture Canada research scientist who studies flea beetles.
New field strategy needed to control wheat midge
A recent change may have a seismic effect on wheat and durum growers across Western Canada. In December 2020, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency issued an update on the re-evaluation of the insecticide chlorpyrifos, announcing that chlorpyrifos would be phased out as follows: Last date of sale by registrant: Dec. 10 2021 Last date of […] Read more
Seeding practices reduce flea beetle damage
Seed treatments should protect canola if it reaches the three- to four-leaf stage within three to four weeks of seeding
What’s tiny, loves heat, eats away at farm profits and is enough to keep you awake at night? Flea beetles, of course. In the spring of 2021, the pests caused headaches and sleepless nights for canola growers across Western Canada. But according to John Gavloski, provincial entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, there’s a reliable way to […] Read more
Got wireworms? There’s a guide for that
Wireworms have been an agricultural pest on the Prairies for more than 100 years, but they remain a bit of a mystery. Growers and agronomists in Western Canada know that wireworms are a problem, but they don’t understand the size of the problem or the economic impacts of wireworms. Wireworms are also difficult to find […] Read more
Got wireworms? There’s a guide for that
Wireworms have been an agricultural pest on the Prairies for more than 100 years, but they remain a bit of a mystery. Growers and agronomists in Western Canada know that wireworms are a problem, but they don’t understand the size of the problem or the economic impacts of wireworms. Wireworms are also difficult to find […] Read more
Farmers urged to keep watch for flea beetles
Insect traps monitored by Saskatchewan Agriculture have shown significant numbers over the past couple of weeks
It’s never too early in the growing season to start scouting for yield-robbing insects. James Tansey, a pest management specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said growers should be on the lookout for flea beetles as soon as canola seedlings begin to emerge. Striped flea beetles can be voracious feeders and are typically active before the cruciferous […] Read more
Pest monitoring network helps track potential threats
Website includes risk maps and information about prevalent species, scouting procedures and economic thresholds
In today’s digital world, there are millions of internet sources offering information on just about every topic under the sun. For prairie grain and oilseed growers, one of the most useful sources of information is the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network at www.prairiepest.ca. Growers can visit the website and subscribe to PPMN’s weekly pest updates. The […] Read more
Insect forecast shows pest potential
Wheat midge and wheat stem sawfly are among the crop pests likely to cause problems in Alberta this year, according to recently posted data and maps from the Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network. Although nothing replaces personal field monitoring or “boots in the field,” as the network regularly states, forecasts based on a 2020 fall […] Read more
Farmers warned to be vigilant for cutworms
This spring is looking like it will be early and dry, which is when it can be trickiest to manage cutworms. “When it’s early, dry and cool, growers sometimes wait too long to scout for cutworms, thinking a field is just slow to germinate or to green up because of the weather,” said Jennifer Otani, […] Read more
