Prairie crop producers need to focus on conserving beneficial insects while simultaneously managing pest insects. Many of those beneficials help promote synergies and make the best use of other ecosystem service providers.
Tag Archives crop insects
Producers urged to protect beneficial insects
When battling crop pests, a research scientist cautions farmers not to throw the baby out with the bathwater
Payoffs and pressures for cereals in a changing Prairie climate
Warmer, wetter, longer growing seasons carry risks as well as rewards
Cereal crops in Western Canada will be influenced by climate change in the coming years — but the impact will depend on both the crop and the primary area of Western Canada where it’s grown. Barley and oats are grown primarily in the cooler regions of the Prairies and will benefit from a longer growing […] Read more
Saskatchewan bugs to watch for in 2019
Low survey results in 2018 could be good news for Saskatchewan farmers this season
The 2018 pest survey results for Saskatchewan look like good news for the 2019 season. Grasshopper, pea leaf weevil and diamondback moth populations were all low in 2018. Large numbers of Bertha armyworm moths were caught in the Outlook and Watrous areas, but these do not necessarily predict 2019 populations. Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture integrated […] Read more
Patience pays with bertha armyworm
Experts recommend holding the spray until you scout, and counting beneficial bugs
Late last summer, a canola field heavily infested with bertha armyworm in western Manitoba created a lot of fuss on Twitter, proving, yet again, just how localized population spikes can be in some areas. While sudden population spikes can cause panic, experts recommend that growers only take measures after they’ve got a good handle on […] Read more
Crop Advisor’s Casebook: What’s attracting seagulls to this canola field?
A Crop Advisor's Solution from the January 23, 2018 issue of Grainews
Paul, who farms 3,500 acres north of Camrose, Alta., was convinced cutworms were taking a bite out of his canola crop. It was mid-June last year when he noticed his canola plant stand was thin. Also, many seagulls were circling the field. He thought cutworms were attracting the birds, as well as damaging his crop […] Read more
Looking back on 2017’s biggest growing challenges
Agronomy tips... from the field
Looking back on issues that growers had to deal with during the 2017 growing season, two things come to mind: insects and weather. In the spring, several regions across the Prairies experienced heavy flea beetle and cutworm pressure in their canola crops, along with some diamondback moth pressure later in the season. Keep in mind […] Read more
Pea leaf weevil moves into new territory
Pea leaf weevils are on the move. Know what you can do about them
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
Don’t rush canola into cooler soils
Agronomy tips... from the field
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
Midge scouting in canola
Scouting is an important component of management. If you don’t know what’s in your field, you can’t evaluate what control measures to use. Yearly scouting is needed to assess what pests exist in fields, as populations don’t always remain constant. For example, in 2016 there were higher counts of cutworm but lower incidence of Bertha […] Read more
Keep your cereal stand one step ahead of wireworms
Wireworms can quickly weave a destructive path through your cereal stand. Knowing what symptoms to look for can help you identify and take steps to protect your crop from this destructive pest. You might start off by seeing bare patches that can be small, one or two-metre gaps, or larger areas where you have thin […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
