Haley Catton, a research scientist with Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge, says producers need to focus on conserving beneficial insects while simultaneously managing pest insects.
Tag Archives insects
Producers urged to protect beneficial insects
Research scientist says farmers should not throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to battling crop pests
Manitoba’s biggest crop pests of 2024
Flea beetles, cutworms, armyworms, lygus bugs and more all ate away at farm profits last year in Manitoba
Manitoba provincial entomologist John Gavloski discusses the province’s top agricultural pests.
Producers urged to keep eyes peeled for insects
Populations were mostly small for key pests in Alta. last year, but there were plenty of hot spots so scouting remains vital
Alberta has released its 2024 survey maps for three of canola’s hungriest insect pests: Bertha armyworm, cabbage seedpod weevil and grasshoppers. All three pest populations were relatively small, although hot spots appeared throughout the province. In all three cases, releases from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation emphasized scouting and when to do so for best results. […] Read more
Singapore approves edible insects amid food security push
The city state’s authority approved 16 insect species for human consumption including grubs and grasshoppers
SINGAPORE (Reuters) — At Singapore’s House of Seafood restaurant, the fish-head curry comes with a side of crunchy crickets, the tofu has bugs crawling out of it and the patrons can’t get enough. The seaside restaurant is the first eatery to put insects on the menu after the city state’s stringent food authority approved for […] Read more
Nutrien purchases bio-control
WINNIPEG — Photodynamic inactivation is not a phrase used in everyday conversation, but it could become an effective control of insect and fungal pests in agriculture. “Photodynamic Inactivation (PDI) of micro-organisms using natural photosensitizers has shown itself to be a powerful tool to combat bacteria and fungi (in crops),” says a 2019 paper published on […] Read more
Native insect acquires new taste for soybeans
The soybean tentiform leafminer has been seen in Manitoba creating leaf injuries on the lower and upper surface
A tiny North American moth species that has been seen in Canada has been developing a new appetite for soybean plants on the U.S. Plains. The species, Macrosaccus morrisella — now officially named the soybean tentiform leafminer — was detected feeding on soybean crops in eastern Minnesota in 2021 and has since taken its newfound […] Read more
The wild side of pollination
Flowering plants have developed a few ways to move their pollen around, and thus protect their genetic diversity. Many grasses are wind pollinated and, as a backup for their long-shot pollination method, can self-pollinate to bring about the next generation. If you’re a broadleaf plant, you’re likely putting animals to work, whether that’s birds, insects […] Read more
Warm December delighted grain beetles; farmers not so much
CALGARY — Unusually warm weather that lasted into early January prompted a Saskatchewan farmer to warn producers about hot spots and insects in grain bins. “I’m hearing that more and more farmers are finding bugs,” said Michael Reimer, who primarily grows durum wheat near Eston, Sask. “I mean, a year ago, we were at minus […] Read more
Bugs: always eager to eat and ready to hide
You don’t even know they were in your crop until after they’ve had their free lunch and moved on over to your neighbour’s
Insects are always eager to decimate pulse crops. There’s a wide array of the destructive little bugs, and they go about doing their damage in a number of different ways. Their timing, devious behavior and variety of modes of action make outbreaks difficult to predict with a high degree of accuracy, according to entomologists. “And […] Read more
Alfalfa weevil infestation requires immediate action
Prairie growers should be checking their alfalfa fields for alfalfa weevils as soon as possible, say forage experts in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. If weevil larvae numbers are high, the alfalfa crop should be cut immediately, weather permitting. If that’s not possible, growers should consider a pesticide application. “There are many alfalfa fields where if it’s […] Read more
