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Tag Archives Agricultural pest insects

Some of the barley plants had white heads. Also, the kernels of the affected plants didn’t fill. When pulled, these heads separated easily from the stem. The affected plants were distributed randomly throughout the field.
Barley, Crops, Features

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: A big barley bother

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the April 25, 2017 issue of Grainews

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While assessing his crop for damage after a storm last year, Ian, a Manitoba producer, noticed some barley plants had white heads. Also, the kernels of the affected plants didn’t fill. Ian, who farms 1,500 acres of wheat, barley and canola near Oak Lake, Man., wasn’t sure if the storm had damaged the barley plants, […] Read more
The plants looked healthy. The crop was completely headed out and around the milky stage, with no signs of disease or abnormal growth on the plants’ leaves, stems or heads. What was attracting the beetles?
Cereals, Crops, Features

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: The secret of the swooping birds

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the April 11, 2017 issue of Grainews

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Last July, Henry, a Saskatchewan farmer, watched as a throng of birds swooped in and out of his durum wheat field. When he scouted the field, he also found some “black bugs,” which prompted him to give me a call. “You need to look at my durum,” he said. “Birds are swooping, so there must […] Read more
Those wildflowers growing in the ditch may be offering more than just a splash of colour.
Crops, Features

Protecting beneficial insects

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Folks in crop production tend to focus on the pest insects. But usually most of the insects in a field are beneficial insects, says Dr. Vincent Hervet, pest management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Parasitoids are just one type of beneficial insect farmers are likely to find in their fields. They are wasps or […] Read more
Red-backed cutworms.
Crops, Features

Scout early for best cutworm control in canola crops

Cutworms may be poised to damage the 2017 canola crop. Be on the lookout for them

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Last year, higher than normal cutworm feeding was reported in several locations in major canola-growing regions. Cutworms have the potential to do incredible damage in canola crops. There are five economically significant cutworm species in the Prairies: the pale western, redbacked, army, darksided and dingy cutworm. The first two are the most predominant species. Pale western is […] Read more
Pea leaf weevil is a common pest in field peas and faba beans, primarily affecting crops grown in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Crops, Features, Pulses

Pea leaf weevil moves into new territory

Pea leaf weevils are on the move. Know what you can do about them

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Pea leaf weevil numbers are on the rise. In fact, according to Scott Meers, an entomologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, they’re moving into areas where producers have no experience with them at all. “We’ve seen a major expansion in the past several years of pea leaf weevil, especially up the west side of central […] Read more
English grain aphids at different life stages. These cereal aphids double their reproductive rate once they start feeding on cereal grain heads.
Crops, Features

The new phone app for info on aphids

AAFC’s first smartphone app will help farmers scout and sample for aphids and their predators

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Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is testing a new aphid app in the field this summer, which should be widely available by next growing season. The cereal aphid app is the first smartphone app developed by AAFC, says Dr. Tyler Wist, a federal research scientist based in Saskatoon. It will guide cereal growers and agronomists […] Read more
A striped flea beetle on a canola leaf.
Canola, Crops, Wheat & Chaff

Don’t rush canola into cooler soils

Agronomy tips... from the field

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Your flea beetle management strategy this season is going to depend on what type of weather conditions and soil temperatures experienced in the days leading up to seeding. Striped flea beetles are going to be a significant threat to your emerging canola, and were responsible for about 90 per cent of the feeding damage we […] Read more
This is a photo of the female of the new “anonymous” midge species.
Canola, Crops, News

A new species of midge lands on the Prairies

Researchers say this 
new “anonymous” midge is not an imminent concern, but it’s worth watching

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An anonymous midge species has been identified in Saskatchewan and central Alberta. The new species is similar to Swede midge (a species already present in Saskatchewan), but to this point does not appear to have caused significant, widespread damage in canola crops. Researchers are still trying to find out more about the as yet unnamed […] Read more
Black beetles on canola buds.
Crops, Features

Want better insect surveys? Here’s how you can help

Provincial entomologists are looking to widen their insect survey networks

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Every year provincial entomologists hit the fields, setting pheromone-baited traps and monitoring insect activity. Your help with these projects could improve the information available in your region. Alberta Alberta Agriculture and Forestry insect management specialist Scott Meers relies on growers. “We have large areas to cover, so when we get input from growers and agronomists […] Read more
Mark’s problem area was located in the north 30 acres of an 80-acre field. In the affected area, only one plant was present per 15 feet of row on average. Neighbouring corn and canola fields were healthy.
Crops, Features, Soybeans

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: Planter problems or pesky pests?

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the January 24, 2017 issue of Grainews

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Three weeks after planting, I was called out to Mark’s 1,500-acre farm, located south east of Winnipeg, Man., where he grows soybeans, canola and spring and winter wheat. Mark wanted to know why an area of his soybean plant stand was so thin. The thin plant stand was located in the north 30 acres of […] Read more

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