It’s not particularly tuneful, and the lyrics will never be mistaken as profound or deep, but summertime anthems don’t care.

The chorus, “If there ever come a time I got rabies, you’re high on my bitin’ list,” has inspired viral videos themed around things people simply cannot stand. I tend to focus on the positives, but this twangy tune has prompted me to think about what would be high on my ranch biting list…

Coming in at number one is invasive weeds. Leafy spurge, downy brome, baby’s breath, absinthe, bindweed, chamomile — the list goes on and on. The threat of invasives can be regional and specific, but also general and widespread.

They’ll infest rangeland, pastures and waterways whether they’re well-managed or not. You can take great pains on your property to prevent and contain weeds, yet wind, water, feed, wildlife, livestock, equipment and other vectors can provide a direct pathway for these detestable plants to infiltrate your land. As a producer, volunteer and (back-in-the-day) professional, I’ve spent way too much time and money scheming, mapping and spraying these plants.

Gophers may be part of the everyday environment, but around here we’ve experienced them in plague-like proportions for about seven years out of the past two decades. This has prompted me to catalogue them on the naughty list.

Speaking of biting, they munch our pastures, hay and annual crops, and they once gnawed the buds out of my new tree saplings. They dig down beside the foundations of our buildings, excavate my garden and build a dangerous network of tunnels, making it almost impossible to ride a horse or drive a pickup across some pastures. The only time I cheered with delight at their antics was when a gopher dined on my newly planted larkspur — the joke was on them, because larkspur is poisonous.

A grasshopper invasion is another thing to index. While they haven’t bothered us as badly this year as they have in the past, I have a very recent recollection of them eating our annual and perennial crops, stripping the tree leaves and even devouring Canada thistle and sagebrush. I have a lot of sympathy for producers who are still fighting the good fight against hoppers. Their damage is swift, whether it’s targeted at seedlings, well-established crops or those ready for harvest.

Last but not least, I’m listing raccoons. They’re cagey, a tiny bit cute and wildly destructive. They’re nimble and bolder than brass. Ironically, raccoons can transmit rabies, so they are more likely to bite me than the other way around. On one of our first dates, my husband introduced me to tactical raccoon management. He spotted a few of the wily wildlife barricaded inside an old building and quickly deployed me as backup.

Twenty-five years later, we’re still collaborating to keep the critters from setting up camp on our ranch. I wonder if our relationship would have flourished if I hadn’t passed the raccoon removal test decades earlier?

Every ranch endures challenges that make us foam at the mouth more than others. To a certain extent, some, like invasive weeds or pesty raccoons, can be managed with proactive prevention. Others, like gopher and grasshopper infestations, are largely out of our control. Even so, our reaction to handling those troubles can be mastered. When things get biting, a positive attitude might be the most effective antidote.

The post A rancher’s ‘bitin’ list’ appeared first on Grainews.

At a forage workshop hosted by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association at the University of Manitoba in March, Manitoba Agriculture entomologist John Gavloski highlighted several key insect pests that can affect forage production and shared strategies for managing them.

Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers are a common pest in Prairie fields. Canada is home to 129 species of grasshoppers, but very few of those cause crop damage. There are only four or five grasshopper species that are considered to be pests, and of those, three are responsible for most of the damage.

“The top three grasshoppers in our survey this year are two-striped, which has been our dominant species in recent years, followed by either clear-winged or migratory,” Gavloski says.

All three have a similar life cycle. They all overwinter as eggs, laid in clusters of 20 to 30. The individual eggs resemble grains of brown rice.

“If you can dig those up easily, then you know you’ve got a decent grasshopper egg population,” Gavloski warns.

—> MORE ON FORAGES: Managing diseases in alfalfa

The ideal time for control is when the grasshoppers’ wing buds become visible. At this stage, the hatch is likely complete.

“Try to figure out what those newly hatched populations are like,” he says. “That will help you with your decision-making later on.”

Farmers can also lean on provincial grasshopper risk maps. Each of the Prairie provinces puts out a risk map in the fall based on samples taken, usually in August. The maps can help estimate the next season’s egg-laying potential.

While these maps can help, Gavloski warns they’re estimates and don’t guarantee outcomes for the following season. Weather conditions after the surveys have been done can affect populations. A warm fall with a late frost can mean there is more development within the egg, and the hatch could come sooner. And while the eggs are waterproof, heavy rains after the hatch, when the young grasshoppers are small, lack fat reserves and need to feed, can lower survival rates.

“They’re more vulnerable when they’re really tiny,” Gavloski says. “They get disease, they get bloated and they can drown.”

—> MORE ON GRASSHOPPERS: Reduced-area pest spraying can still hit moving targets

Economic thresholds: Estimating whether grasshopper numbers have reached the economic threshold can be challenging.

Gavloski estimates grasshopper populations by walking 50 metres along a field edge or ditch, selecting five random one-metre square areas and counting the grasshoppers that jump as he approaches. He then disturbs the plants to check for remaining insects.

These counts provide an estimate of the grasshopper population. The process doesn’t give very accurate results, but can probably let you know if you’re near the threshold.

“Usually, you can get a ballpark range,” Gavloski says. “If you think it was somewhere around 12 to 15, that is good. You don’t have to know that it was actually 13.”

For forage crops, the economic threshold for grasshopper control is generally considered to be eight to 12 grasshoppers per square metre.

Control methods: Gavloski recommends using what is called the Reduced Area and Agent Treatments (RAATS), which involve treating alternating swaths of land. This method works because grasshoppers move from untreated areas to treated areas. Research done in Wisconsin has shown RAATS can provide very good control while using half the insecticide.

—> MORE ON FORAGES: Grow forages, starve weeds

“The results of the research showed they were getting 94 per cent control when they sprayed the whole rangeland, but they were able to get 81 per cent control by only doing half of the rangeland,” Gavloski says.

Insecticides such as Coragen (chlorantraniliprole) are commonly used to control grasshoppers. Coragen is effective, with relatively low toxicity to pollinators. Generic insecticide versions have made treatments more affordable.

Cutworms

Cutworms are a diverse group of pests in Canada. Gavloski spoke about three different categories of cutworms: climbing, surface-feeding and subterranean.

Climbing cutworms climb plants at night to feed, then retreat underground or under debris during the day. Unlike other cutworms, they don’t cut plants but leave feeding damage on leaves, which can be misleading when scouting. The dingy cutworm is the most common climber in Manitoba. It can be identified by small leaf-like markings on its body. To find them, dig around damaged plants.

Surface-feeding cutworms crawl along the ground and cut plant stems, leaving severed plants behind. If you see cut plants, dig around to find the caterpillars nearby. The redbacked cutworm is a common surface-feeding species. It is recognizable by two red lines running down its back.

Subterranean cutworms live and feed underground, making them difficult to detect and control. The glassy cutworm is an example of a subterranean feeder. It prefers grasses over broadleaf crops and is commonly found in forage and cereal crops.

Gavloski also pointed out that some infestations can appear in patches. The patchiness can depend on egg-laying patterns the previous season, but it can also depend on topography. In more rolling landscapes, the warmer, southern side of the slopes tends to attract the bugs.

Economic thresholds: Gavloski didn’t speak to economic thresholds in his presentation. Manitoba Agriculture’s website says economic thresholds haven’t been well researched for cutworms, but included some anecdotal thresholds for various crops.

For alfalfa (the only forage crop listed), the website suggests four to five larvae per square foot (30 cm) as a threshold. Otherwise, farmers can just make a judgement based on the level of plant injury. Visible, widespread damage that threatens plant stands would obviously signal the need for control.

Control methods: Management strategies depend on the species. Coragen Max is the only insecticide registered for cutworms in forages — and while Gavloski says more options are needed, the pesticide is effective.

“It is a very good product for cutworms, at least the ones that surface feed; it’s got residual, and it is basically harmless to bees and many beneficial insects.”

Since cutworms are most active at night, insecticides should be applied late in the afternoon or evening.

Unfortunately, the effectiveness of insecticides to control subterranean species is “hit-and-miss,” Gavloski says. “Because they’re not coming above the ground to feed, they can be a real nuisance to manage with insecticides.”

Targeted spraying of affected areas can be used in situations where an infestation is not widespread.

“If the problem is small — say, 10 or 20 acres have a lot and the rest of the fields aren’t bad — you can patch-spray for cutworms.”

Cereal armyworm

The pest Gavloski refers to here shouldn’t be confused with the better-known bertha armyworm, which is mostly a concern for canola growers. As the name suggests, cereal armyworms are more likely to be found in forage grasses than alfalfa stands. It is also known as true armyworm or simply as “armyworm.”

Adults don’t overwinter in Canada but migrate from southern areas, often carried by wind currents in spring and summer, and while they have a particular affinity for timothy, most forage grasses are excellent hosts for armyworms.

“When the adults arrive, they’re looking for a lush, dense grassy stand to lay their eggs into,” Gavloski says. “So a perennial grass is just ideal … that’s where the eggs often end up.”

However, if they defoliate enough in an area, they will start moving into other areas (these movements are why they’re called armyworms), and, while their preference is to feed on grasses, they may feed on broadleaf plants in lieu of a grass crop if that’s what’s available.

Armyworm larvae have distinct stripes, with a V-shaped marking on their heads. The colours can vary, but those striped patterns are usually visible. The adult moths are light brown with white dots on their wings. Armyworm larvae feed primarily on grasses and are often found in forage stands, especially in early spring.

When scouting for armyworm larvae, check multiple areas of the field, as populations can vary within a single field. Shake plants and inspect the soil for larvae, paying close attention to plant debris, soil clumps and cracks.

“During the day, they’re trying to hide, so they’re underneath the debris and may go into the cracks in the soil,” Gavloski says. “So you have to look in the cracks, peel away the debris and do your counts.”

In cereal and grass crops, begin scouting in late June and examine at least five areas, focusing on patches of lodged plants and grassy weed infestations. Fields or sections with significant bird activity should also be monitored, as birds often feed on armyworms. Additionally, check the backs of larvae for parasite eggs, which can indicate natural control.

Economic thresholds: The threshold for control varies by crop. For forage grasses, it’s generally five larvae per square foot (929 cm²). However, as mentioned, they love timothy. Instead of feeding on the leaves before moving on to the heads like they do with other grasses, with timothy, they attack the heads first. As a result, they may require intervention even if the threshold isn’t met.

“Sometimes, it will pay to control them at levels below a threshold, depending on where they’re feeding and how much damage they’re doing,” Gavloski says.

Control methods: Insecticide applications should be timed for the evening or late afternoon, as armyworms primarily feed at night.

As with cutworms, chlorantraniliprole is the only active ingredient registered for armyworms. The products Coragen Max, Coragen (the pre-Max version) and a new generic version called Shenzi are available for farmers to use.

Alfalfa weevil

As the name suggests, the alfalfa weevil is a major economic pest for alfalfa crops, but will also feed on other legumes such as clover, making it a major concern for many farmers growing forages.

Adults overwinter under plant debris and soil in and around alfalfa fields and emerge in spring, feeding on alfalfa leaves. Round, elongated holes in the leaves are an indication of adult alfalfa weevils feeding.

When females are ready to lay eggs, they chew a hole in the stem and deposit from one to 40 eggs. When they hatch, the larvae will feed upon the stem before moving to fresh buds and leaves. After the larval stage, they make silky cocoons that, if the infestation is widespread, can be visible as a white haze over the field.

“People often first notice this driving by their field and see the crop is looking kind of frosted,” Gavloski says. “If you see this, you’ve probably got lots of feeding, and you probably should have been in there earlier.”

As a general guideline, he recommends scouting for the bugs in early June and continuing weekly checks.

“They should be hatching out by then,” Gavloski says. “You should be on top of things before it gets too bad.”

Economic thresholds: Alfalfa weevils cause significant damage, particularly to young alfalfa crops. The general action threshold for larvae varies based on crop height. For hay crops under 30 cm, the threshold is one larva per stem. For crops between 30 and 40 cm, it’s two larvae per stem. If three larvae per stem are found, control measures are generally needed.

Control methods: For hay crops, cutting the plants early is the main strategy used to control the insects because the larvae will starve or desiccate after cutting. Several insecticides are available for use, but many only provide partial suppression.

“Our insecticides don’t always work well for alfalfa weevil,” Gavloski says.

Natural predators, such as parasitoid wasps (bathyplectes and oomyzus), can help control alfalfa weevil populations. These predators can sometimes reduce the need for chemical control.

Lygus bugs

Gavloski also touched on lygus bugs. They are primarily a concern for alfalfa seed producers rather than forage growers. Lygus bugs are sap-feeding insects that use their beaks, like mosquitoes, to inject enzymes into plant tissues and suck up the sap. They target nitrogen-rich growth, damaging buds, seeds and flowers.

While there are suggested economic thresholds for control of the bugs in seed alfalfa, and insecticides are available, control is not recommended for alfalfa grown for hay.

The post What insect pests are bugging your forage crops? appeared first on Grainews.

James Tansey, an insect pest management specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, urged growers to be vigilant, even though grasshopper numbers were relatively low in many parts of the province in 2024. The one exception was the province’s southwest.

There were two main reasons for those lower numbers overall. Cool, wet conditions in the spring slowed the embryonic development of several insect pests including grasshoppers. Those damp conditions also led to a rise in naturally occurring fungal diseases such as Entomophaga grylli, which can be lethal to grasshoppers and help keep their numbers in check.

The concern now is that hot, dry conditions in many parts of the province in mid to late summer and well into the fall of 2024 provided ideal conditions for female grasshoppers to lay their eggs, says Tansey. That could lead to a large increase in the province’s grasshopper population if conditions are warm and dry this coming spring.

“If we get another warm spring like we saw in 2023, then we could certainly see a significant increase in grasshoppers again,” Tansey says.

“Are we going to see the numbers like we saw in 2023? Unlikely, but it could still be a major regional issue. I think growers need to keep their eyes open, so they’re not surprised if we do have a long, dry spring.”

Tansey says it could have been a much different story about grasshopper pressure in 2024 had last the spring been warm and dry. In the few parts of the province where conditions were warm and dry, very high numbers of eggs were placed in the ground and grasshopper populations in those locations “took hold with enthusiasm and they really sped through… development relatively quickly.”

There are more than 80 different species of grasshoppers present in the Prairies but only a handful pose a risk to crops, Tansey told the audience at the Agronomy Update.

The migratory grasshopper has historically been one of Saskatchewan’s major pests but has been supplanted recently by the two-striped grasshopper.

One of the main differences between the two species is that migratory grasshoppers are ambivorous and will eat “anything green that’s not nailed down” while their two-striped counterparts are folivorous and prefer broad-leafed crops such as canola and pulses.

Also on radar

Another insect pest Tansey says growers should be on guard against this coming spring is Hessian flies: small, mosquito-like insects that pose a serious threat to cereal crops such as wheat, barley and rye. They can cause serious damage to a crop and are considered one of the worst cereal pests in the world.

Tansey says Hessian flies had not been reported as a significant pest in Saskatchewan since around 2013 or 2014, but the province recorded a significant uptick in their numbers in 2023, which continues to be a cause for concern. Significant populations were noted in North Battleford, Demaine, Leroy, Carstairs and Shaunavon in 2023.

One of the most common signs that Hessian flies are present in a crop is lodging. Tansey says if the stem of a plant is broken off at its second or third node the damage was likely cause by the tiny flies. However, if a cereal plant’s stem is broken near its first node, the damage was likely caused by wheat stem sawflies.

There are no pesticides registered to control Hessian flies. The primary means of controlling them is regular crop rotation.

Tansey adds that tillage can be effective in helping to control Hessian fly populations but “tillage comes with its own challenges, so you need to weigh that as well.”

ALSO: Gophers go further

A vertebrate pest plaguing Saskatchewan growers for some time now is Richardson’s ground squirrels — more commonly known as gophers.

They were particularly a problem for the province’s canola growers in 2024. Last spring’s cool, wet conditions meant canola crops were slow to develop in many regions. Gophers normally tend to congregate near the edge of a canola field because they don’t like tall plants that can block their sightlines.

However, because last year’s crop was late to develop, they were able to move further into fields and establish more of a presence.

“They were munching on those seedlings and pretty severely in some cases,” says Tansey.

Tansey says it’s too soon to say how much of threat Richardson’s ground squirrels will pose in 2025 and it will depend in part on what kind of weather the province experiences this spring. He points out the province is continuing to track their presence through an online survey available to farmers. He is currently working on a model that will use AI to incorporate that data and provide some predictive power about where they could pose a threat to crops.

In 2023, the federal Pest Management Regulatory Authority deregistered the use of strychnine to control gophers. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture has since been studying the effectiveness of some alternative products that farmers can use in place of strychnine.

Tansey says several zinc phosphide products such as Burrow Oat Bait and ZC Rodent Oat Bait appear to be statistically similar to strychnine in terms of their efficiency. An added bonus of their use is that zinc phosphide breaks down into gas which later escapes the cadaver and leaves little in the way of residue in a field. Some anticoagulants, including Rozol RTU Field Rodent Bait and Ramik Green, have also been shown to be effective.

The key to using any kind of poison bait products, Tansey says, is to install them early before crops start to emerge and gophers develop “bait shyness.”

The post Grasshopper threat remains for Saskatchewan crops appeared first on Grainews.

Lumivia CPL’s active ingredient is chlorantraniliprole, a Group 28 insecticide. Under its new label, which took effect in July, for grasshopper suppression in wheat, oats, barley or rye, the treatment can be applied at 40 mL of active ingredient per 100 kg of seed.

This “exclusive” label update is an important development because it “reduces the need for farmers to apply post-emergence treatments,” the company says. That said, if pest pressure is high enough for a follow-up foliar application, you’ll need to wait at least 60 days from seeding if you plan to use any Group 28 product.

The post Label boost for Lumivia appeared first on Grainews.

Taking advantage of that natural behaviour, University of Wyoming scientists have devised a way to control grasshoppers on pastures with smaller volumes of pesticides.

The method is called Reduced Agent and Area Treatments (RAAT), in which farmers apply an insecticide to one strip on a pasture, leaving the adjacent strip unsprayed. That alternating pattern continues across the field, so only half the pasture receives insecticide.

The research shows it’s possible to reduce insecticide by 50 per cent and still kill most of the hoppers.

“You can get 80 to 90 per cent control doing this because grasshoppers do move around and some do move around quite a bit,” said John Gavloski, an entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture.

Gavloski shared information about the RAAT method during a Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture webinar on grasshoppers and grasshopper control earlier this spring. The basic idea is that grasshoppers will jump into the treated strips.

“The RAATs strategy is effective for grasshopper suppression because the insecticide controls grasshoppers within treated swaths while conserving natural grasshopper predators in swaths not directly treated,” says a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on grasshopper suppression.

The U of Wyoming scientist who did the research on RAATs provided a similar explanation to Wyoming Livestock Roundup, a weekly publication in the state.

“RAAT takes advantage of the insect’s behaviour,” said Scott Schnell, in 2019. “Nymphs and adults alike move around a lot in search of food, so even if we don’t kill them with the initial application, they will likely move to a treated strip in search of food… Because they eat so much, they will likely consume a plant that has been sprayed.”

A U of Wyoming website explains how farmers can employ the strategy.

One option for spraying a pasture in alternating strips is with an ATV. The vehicles are well suited for the gopher holes and bumpy terrain of a pasture and can be equipped with a sprayer.

The U of Wyoming estimates this approach can reduce costs by 70 per cent compared to blanket coverage because it requires a smaller volume of insecticide and less time to spray the pasture.

Some Canadian ranchers may have experimented with RAATs to control grasshoppers on pastures and some farmers have also used the technique on annual crops, Gavloski said.

“I know, anecdotally, that people have been doing it in wheat, canola and some of our other crops… People think they get good results, but it hasn’t been researched in those crops.

“Unfortunately, this technique has only been (studied) in a pasture/rangeland situation. I’m trying to encourage our researchers to duplicate these experiments in some other field crops… in our Canadian Prairie conditions.”

During the webinar, Gavloski encouraged farmers to control grasshoppers early in the season. Waiting for them to develop into adults is a mistake.

“We don’t want you to get to that point that you’re trying to battle adult grasshoppers. The adult grasshoppers are moving around. You need higher rates… some products don’t work against them.”

A Manitoba Agriculture document contains more information on grasshopper monitoring and management.

It says the nymph stage is the optimal time to kill grasshoppers, before their wings develop.

“Insecticide applications are most effective and the costs are lower … while the nymphs are still concentrated in their breeding areas,” Manitoba Agriculture says.

“It is generally best to control grasshoppers when the majority are in the third to fourth nymph stages. The lowest dosage given on the insecticide label should be used when the grasshoppers are small and the vegetative cover is low.”

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That was one message delivered at last month’s Canola Week annual meetings in Calgary, which brought together canola industry leaders from across North America.

Meghan Vankosky, a field crop entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based in Saskatoon, spoke during a crop update panel.

She said the number of areas in the Prairies with higher grasshopper populations has been increasing in recent years. That was especially true in 2023 in southern regions of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and to a less extent parts of Manitoba.

Head start

Vankosky, who is also co-chair of the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network, said grasshoppers got off to a “great head start” last spring because of the hot, dry conditions that blanketed large sections of the Prairie provinces.

“We usually start going out to selected sites in Saskatchewan during that first week of May with our summer students because we want to get zeros. We want to know there are no grasshopper nymphs yet,” she said.

“Well, there were already grasshopper nymphs the first week of May. We had grasshopper development almost two weeks ahead of normal in 2023 because of that hot start in May.

“That meant that by June 15, we had adult pest grasshoppers on the Prairies. That has not happened in over 35 years. I work with people who have been working on grasshoppers their entire careers… and they’ve never seen adult grasshoppers in June. That’s not good.”

The situation was so bad in parts of southwestern Saskatchewan that some rural municipalities were “disaster zones” where grasshopper damage combined with the effects of drought and losses from ground squirrels.

Though grasshoppers don’t normally prefer canola, they make an exception when conditions are dry and they are desperate for food, Vankosky said.

The grasshopper situation in 2024 will largely depend on weather, she said. If it stays warm and dry again, as it has in the past few years, “2024 is looking to be unfortunately even worse than 2023 in terms of grasshoppers.”

Be ready

She advises producers to scout early and often.

“Grasshoppers are easiest to kill when they’re small because they can’t get away from the insecticides and it takes less of the insecticide to kill. You can treat the ditches or the field edges before they move into the field and you then have to spray the whole field.”

Vankosky also advised farmers to check provincial and regional pest maps when they are released and watch the web for the latest information provided by provincial officials and the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network.

Taking note

Dan Johnson, a professor of environmental science at the University of Lethbridge and a former specialist with AAFC, spoke about what he referred to as “the re-emerging grasshopper problem” during a panel about insect management tools.

He said it’s important to note what kinds of grasshoppers are present to determine how much damage they could potentially cause and how best to limit it.

There are about 80 species of grasshoppers in Western Canada, but only a handful are considered crop pests.

The two-striped grasshopper is a notorious “gobbler” of most crops, including canola. It feeds on canola pods, causing serious damage, and can even clip them right off a plant. It has two pale stripes that extend from its eyes to the tips of its forewings and solid black stripes on its hind legs.

Johnson said the two-striped variety can be difficult to identify because they change colour during the season. They are normally tan after hatching before becoming green, purple, orange or yellow soon after.

The Packard’s grasshopper and Bruner’s spur-throated grasshopper are two other troublesome species in canola and other broadleaf crops. The young Packard’s is green with black scattered dots that resemble pepper, and the adult version is grey to dark yellow with two light-coloured stripes behind the eyes with grey forewings.

The Bruner’s grasshopper is pale to dark brown with a hind tibia that is usually pink or red. It is more common in foothills and northern regions, although it’s also an issue in a few southern areas such as the Cypress Hills region in Alberta.

Clear-winged grasshoppers aren’t much of a threat to canola since they prefer to feed on grass and cereal crops, Johnson said. They are yellowish or brownish with clear wings adorned with dark patches.

Any grasshopper with hind wings that are highly visible in flight (red, yellow, orange or black) or that sing or clack, are not pests.

Johnson noted thresholds don’t really matter when it comes to grasshoppers.

“This is not an insect that thresholds apply to very well. Look for damage,” he said.

Fewer tools available

He also told growers that fewer tools will be available to fight grasshoppers this season.

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency determined last year that lambda-cyhalothrin products such as Matador and Silencer will not be available for use on crops destined for livestock feed, which effectively means they can no longer be used for any grain, oilseed or pulse crop grown in Western Canada.

There are some biological controls, which Johnson said offer “some pretty good control” but they may take time to work.

Weather data from the 1950s to the present shows average temperatures trending upward, which doesn’t bode well for future grasshopper populations, said Johnson.

“We might have to get used to grasshoppers because they benefit from that (rise in temperatures).”

The post Grasshoppers: Brace for impact appeared first on Grainews.

During a June 14 webinar offering advice on managing grasshopper populations, James Tansey of Saskatchewan Agriculture said, “we’ve got a bit of a perfect storm for grasshoppers this year.”

According to Tansey, warm and dry conditions in the province last summer resulted in a rapid onset of adult grasshoppers, which laid a lot of eggs. Then, warm conditions and timely rains this spring produced a lot of green feed for young grasshopper nymphs to feed on when they emerged from the ground.

Tansey said one of the first steps for control is to identify what type of grasshopper is present. While 85 species of grasshopper have been identified in Western Canada, most are non-pest species and only four are what Tansey called “problematic” for most farmers.

Typically, non-pest grasshoppers have wings before late June with brightly coloured hind wings and are noisy flyers.

“A good mantra is, ‘if it has wings in the spring, it’s not a pest,’ ” Tansey said.

The most common pest-type grasshoppers in Saskatchewan are migratory (Melanoplus sanguinipes), Packard’s (Melanoplus packardii) and two-striped (Melanoplus bivittatus).

Migratory grasshoppers are a dark grayish brown tinged with red, with a yellowish belly and black bands on their hind legs. Host plants include forbs, grasses, wheat and barley.

Packard’s grasshoppers are gray to dark yellow, have two light-coloured stripes behind their eyes and blue tibias on their hind legs. They feed on vegetables and small grains but prefer legumes.

Two-striped grasshoppers have two pale stripes extending from their eyes to the tip of their forewings and a black stripe on their hind femur. They will feed on alfalfa as well as other crops such as cereals.

Monitoring methods

Tansey said there are two recommended methods for monitoring grasshopper populations in a field and determining numbers in relation to economic thresholds.

The first is the transect method in which an individual walks a 10-metre transect or path and uses a one-metre stick to estimate the number of insects in that area. The process should be repeated five times with the total number of insects divided by 50.

The second recommended method is sweep sampling in which an individual uses a net and takes four, 180-degree sweeps at different spots, repeated in at least five locations. It’s important not to collect any soil in the net.

While the sweep sampling technique takes time to perfect, Tansey said, it allows the person doing the sweep to hit multiple populations much quicker than doing a walking survey.

So, what if you discover pest-type grasshoppers in the field?

Tansey advises people to consult the 2023 Guide to Crop Protection for current information on products registered and marketed for specific crops. He warned against going off-label when using insecticides to control grasshoppers.

“Do not go off-label. I’ve heard reports about some off-label applications, and you can really get yourself into trouble with that,” Tansey said.

“If it has grasshopper on the label, you can pretty much take that to the bank that it’s going to be efficacious if you follow the label directions. If it’s registered, there’s a good reason for it. If it’s not, there’s also a good reason for it.”

Tansey also recommended that growers consider maximum residue limits of any products and follow recommendations on product labels.

Insecticide options

Tansey said Group 3 insecticides (synthetic pyrethroids) are effective against young grasshoppers. He noted examples for wheat include:

• Decis 100 EC and several other deltamethrin products
• UP-Cyde and Ship (cypermethrin)
• Silencer, LaBamba and Zivata (lambda-cyhalothrin)

Tansey said one exception in Group 3s is Permethrin insecticide, which has low efficacy against two-striped grasshoppers. He also cautioned against using lambda-cyhalothrin products on crops intended for animal feed, as some buyers may not accept it. The efficacy of most Group 3s decreases with very warm temperatures.

Group 28 insecticides, also known as diamides, are generally effective against adult grasshoppers, Tansey said. That includes products such as Coragen and Coragen Max. However, it may take several days for the insects to die after spraying.

“What freaks some people out a little bit about the Group 28s is they’re not knock-down insecticides like some of the other ones,” said Tansey. “The animal is still going to be alive, but it’s not feeding or it’s feeding much less.”

Tansey noted Group 1B products, known as organophosphates, are also effective against adult grasshoppers. These are some of the oldest chemistries available, some dating back to the 1930s.

He said some of the more popular Group 1Bs include malathion products, whose efficacy improves with warmer temperatures, and Lagon 480 E, which provides about eight days of residual efficacy.

Growers should be aware that Group 1B products containing chlorpyrifos, such as Lorsban, can only be applied until the end of this season, as they will be deregistered and unavailable for use in Canada as of Dec. 10.

Alternative solutions

Biopesticide baits, which are ingested by grasshoppers, are an alternative to insecticides. Tansey said Nolo Bait, containing naturally occuring Nosema locustae spores, is one of the more popular ones. It should be applied to fields when there is no above-ground harvestable food present.

Eco Bran, a wheat bran infused with carbaryl insecticide, is another effective bait that can “kill a large number of grasshoppers in relatively short order,” said Tansey. It cannot be used in crops such as corn, alfalfa, clover, wheat, oats, barley, rye and sweet lupins.

There are cultural control methods to protect against grasshoppers. Although they generally won’t provide knock-down or total mitigation of grasshopper damage, Tansey said, they can significantly reduce damage.

Cultural control options include:

• Early seeding produces more resilient crops capable of withstanding more grasshopper damage.
• Add crops that include non-preferred hosts, such as oats and peas, to the rotation.
• Tillage removes early green plants when grasshoppers are still in the nymph stage, effectively starving the insects.
• Trap strips lure grasshoppers to areas away from harvestable crops.

Tansey cautioned that growers shouldn’t become complacent even if conditions appear less than ideal for future grasshopper development this summer.

“Everything for next year depends on the conditions in July,” he said. “There are some factors that could contribute to their mortality … (like) if we get the onset of very cool, wet conditions.”

Tansey added if warm, dry conditions continue in Saskatchewan through the summer and grasshopper numbers remain high, “we could be looking at more trouble for next year, barring a very cool, wet spring and early summer next year.”

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Among the pests he cited were grasshoppers, flea beetles and pea leaf weevils. 

Tansey said the grasshopper hatch is well underway in Saskatchewan, but recent rains could change how much of a problem they become. 

“We’ve had some rain in the south of the province and we are still waiting to see what… that has done with these grasshopper nests. The moisture can contribute to disease in these animals and contribute to direct mortality,” he said, noting there have been some reports already of crop damage, 

Tansey stressed the need for vigilance with farmers checking their crops and the surrounding areas for signs of grasshoppers and other pests. He said there has been estimates of 50 to 70 grasshopper nymphs per square meter in ditches, which normal rates tend to be around 40. 

There have also been reports of striped and crucifer flea beetles in the province, especially in the central area. 

“We are hearing about damage to seedling canola in the Saskatoon area,” Tansey said, also noting large numbers of striped flea beetles in the province’s northeast. That said, he cautioned there are still few reports to go on at this time and there was still something of a chance the problem might not be as bad as expected. 

“There’s no replacement for getting out and seeing what’s happening,” he said. 

Pea leaf weevils have been reported as well, though it’s still on the early side to fully know how much of a problem they could become this year. 

“There was a pretty dramatic increase in the number of pea leaf weevil numbers in the northeast last year,” he said, noting monitoring just recently started for this year. 

Some farmers recently began spraying for different insect pests in the province, he said, but added that when reports and numbers have firmed up, the province will make the insect situation well known to them. 

— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.

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Gavloski couldn’t say for sure if insect damage was going to be bad this year but based on what’s transpired over the last three years, he said it depends on conditions, especially for flea beetles and canola.

“Canola growers should definitely be scouting for flea beetles. A large degree of how much damage they cause will be determined by how quickly the plants are germinating and growing through those seedling stages,” he said.

“If we get weather conditions where there is quick germination and quick seedling growth, the seed treatments might be all that we need to protect from the flea beetles. If growth seems to stall in that seedling stage, that can sometimes result in the seed treatment wearing out and people are having to spray.”

Gavloski also advised to watch for signs of cutworms in canola, wheat, sunflowers and other crops.

“A couple of years ago we had some really high levels. Things seem to be tailing off a bit, but there are probably still areas where cutworms could be economical,” he said.

Grasshoppers are another potential pest that need to be high on one’s scouting list. Gavloski noted the last few years have been “conducive for grasshopper populations to build.”

Besides the above three pests, the entomologist said there’s always a chance of the winds carrying in other pests — something that cannot be predetermined. Besides scouting for insects, he suggested farmers review the Manitoba crop pest updates.

— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.

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The network’s annual grasshopper survey is conducted in late summer and early fall by estimating the density of adult insects, usually in ditches along cereal fields, that are capable of laying eggs before winter. 

High densities indicate a higher risk of grasshopper outbreaks the following year, although it’s no guarantee as cool and wet growing conditions have a negative effect on the insect’s development. As the PPMN’s 2022 density map shows, all three Prairie provinces had areas with high grasshopper pressure.

“Recent dry conditions across the central and southern prairies have been ideal for grasshoppers,” the PPMN states in its 2022 grasshopper report. “Although the area with grasshopper infestation in 2022 was similar to that observed in 2021, population densities were greater in 2022 than in 2021. More widespread outbreaks were observed in 2022 than in the last few years.”

With grasshopper populations on the rise, the PPMN says, “Prairie farmers should be prepared to scout for grasshoppers in spring and early summer in 2023, especially if weather conditions remain warmer and drier than normal.”

Grasshoppers, of course, aren’t the only bug farmers need to be wary of. With that in mind, we asked provincial experts in each Prairie province to list some of the top insect pests to look out for in 2023.

Manitoba

Grasshoppers
According to John Gavloski, an extension entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, two-striped grasshoppers are the dominant grasshopper species in Manitoba and pose the biggest threat. 

“What makes them of greater concern is the fact that they are such generalists and populations have been high in recent years.”

Gavloski says places with lots of lush, green vegetation at the end of the 2022 growing season, such as along field edges and in ditches, would have been more attractive for grasshoppers to lay eggs. He recommends farmers scout those areas thoroughly, starting in early June or so.

Flea beetles
Gavloski says flea beetles could be a concern for canola producers in 2023, based on population levels of the past few years and the fact they’re able to survive Manitoba’s harsh winters quite well.

He recommends farmers watch their canola fields closely as insects start to emerge out of the ground, typically after a few days in the 15 C range. Striped flea beetles appear first, followed by crucifer flea beetles a little later.

“They’re feeding on the very young seedling plants,” says Gavloski. “Once the plants get three or four true leaves, they can usually tolerate the flea beetle feeding. It’s at the seedling stages that people have to be very focused on scouting carefully.”

He notes insecticide seed treatments offer some protection against flea beetles, but sometimes it may not be enough.

“That seed treatment should be effective for three to four weeks, not from when the canola emerges but from the date of seeding. In some years that may be all that’s needed, but if we get conditions that extend that seedling stage for a prolonged period of time, that’s when people are at higher risk of having to do foliar sprays.”

Lygus bugs 
Gavloski says lygus bugs are a pest to watch for in canola, but they can be a problem, too, in sunflower, dry bean and alfalfa seed crops if their numbers are high enough.

Adult lygus bugs overwinter in Manitoba and the insect will go through two population cycles after it emerges in the spring. 

“For most crops, using a sweep net is a good way to look for them because they’re very quick and often you can’t even find them otherwise,” says Gavloski.

He recommends people scouting for lygus bugs in canola do sets of 10 sweeps. Gavloski says for a crop like confection sunflowers, though, sweep nets aren’t practical because of the size of plants. In that case, he says the best way to spot lygus bugs is by examining sunflower heads and perhaps tapping them.

Cutworms
Gavloski says cutworms are a potential pest in multiple crops in Manitoba. The two dominant species in Manitoba have been the redbacked cutworm and the dingy cutworm. 

Gavloski notes while both cutworm species are generalists that eat numerous crops, the way they feed is different. 

“Dingy cutworms defoliate plants and don’t do a lot of clipping, whereas redbacked cutworms, when they get big, they will clip the plants.”

Clipped plants in your crop are a clue you might have a cutworm problem, says Gavloski. He adds it’s not that easy to locate the insects during the day since they’re nocturnal. 

“They will come out at night to do their feeding, so you have to dig around a bit to find them.”

Saskatchewan

Grasshoppers
James Tansey, Saskatchewan Agriculture’s provincial insect management specialist, says warm and dry conditions last July and August really helped to promote egg laying, “so we could see some grasshopper issues in the coming season.

“That comes with a bit of an asterisk. The long-term forecast into this spring is indicating cool conditions, which can slow their development. It’s not going to dramatically reduce populations, but it could slow them down a bit.”

Tansey stresses there are 85 species of grasshoppers in the Prairies and the vast majority of them are not pests. “A good mantra for growers is, ‘If it has wings in the spring, it’s not a pest,’” he says.

According to Tansey, the main pest species to watch for in Saskatchewan are two-striped, clear-winged, lesser migratory and Packard’s grasshoppers.

“Two-striped is our prevalent species in the province. This one is a little bit more generalized, but it does prefer broadleaf plants,” he says. “We do have occasional or limited populations of clear-winged, which is a cereal specialist. These seem to be primarily in areas with sandy soils.

“We have some reports of lesser migratory in southern regions, especially in the Regina area where they were relatively common. These ones are broad generalists, so there’s very little as far as plants that they won’t eat,” Tansey adds. “There are some reports of Packard’s in the Saskatoon area, and these ones are legume specialists.”

Tansey says all of Saskatchewan’s pest grasshoppers overwinter as eggs and start emerging typically in mid-May or a little later. 

“In early June you’ll start to see large numbers of them, and that’ll give you an estimate as to what’s going on in your fields. Look at ditches as well, because a lot of eggs are laid in ditches,” he says.

“Look at them early and evaluate your population of (grasshopper) nymphs. When they first emerge, that is not the time for control (measures), unless they’re actually causing significant damage. That’s because a lot of things can happen to juvenile grasshoppers.”

Tansey maintains the time to start considering foliar insecticide applications for pest grasshoppers is when they’re at the third instar nymph stage, when wing buds begin to form and their numbers are nearing economic thresholds for spraying. 

“That’s when you’re going to get the best bang for your buck.”

Wheat midge 
According to Tansey, there is “an elevated risk of wheat midge in several parts of the province, so that is a concern.”

He says wheat midge populations typically peak around Canada Day in Saskatchewan, so it’s important to scout wheat fields for the insect around late June and early July.

Tansey notes if conditions are dry in April and May, this could delay their development and emergence from the ground by up to six weeks, but “if timely rains do occur, then that’ll stimulate them to complete their development.”

Flea beetle
Tansey says it’s important for growers to anticipate flea beetle pressure due to very large numbers of striped and crucifer flea beetles in recent years.

“We have no reason to believe that won’t be the case again this coming spring, although cool conditions could slow them down,” he says. “Unfortunately, we don’t have much in the way of predictive power for these animals (but) we don’t anticipate a reduction in flea beetle pressures this year.”

Tansey says under warm conditions striped flea beetles will start emerging as early as mid-April and into mid-May, while crucifer flea beetles typically start to appear a couple of weeks later.

“That is something to consider if you’re in a region that has been dominated by striped flea beetles,” he says. “You’ll want to start scouting a little bit earlier.”

Bertha army worm
Tansey says this is another pest canola producers in Saskatchewan should be mindful of in 2023. He stresses an important thing to remember about bertha army worm is that it’s a cyclical pest. 

“It usually cycles every six to eight years. The last minor outbreak we had was about 2016, so we’re getting to be about due for an increase in these populations,” he says. “We’ve seen a slight increase in trapping numbers, so we’re going to keep an eye on that one.”

According to Tansey, peak emergence for bertha army worm is typically sometime in late June or early July, “but it’s all temperature dependent and that’s why we monitor for them.” 

Saskatchewan Agriculture tracks bertha army worm moth counts during the growing season. The data, which is found at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/agriculture-natural-resources-and-industry/agribusiness-farmers-and-ranchers/crops-and-irrigation/insects/bertha-armyworm-map, can help farmers determine when to start scouting for bertha army worms.

Alberta

Grasshoppers
Shelley Barkley, an insect survey technologist with Alberta Agriculture, says conditions in southern Alberta have set the stage for a probable surge in grasshopper numbers.

“Going into 2022, we had some healthy populations of grasshoppers in the south, and the dry conditions of 2022 really favoured them. Then we had this beautiful long fall where they were able to lay lots and lots of eggs,” says Barkley. 

“Those eggs were able to develop right to the edge of their development stage they could do before winter sets in and stops them. So if conditions are right in the spring, we could see an early grasshopper hatch.”

Barkley recommends farmers start looking for grasshoppers the last part of May and into June, and that they scout ditches and along field edges first.

The most problematic species on Alberta farms, according to Barkley, are typically two-striped, migratory and clear-winged grasshoppers. 

She notes there’s a grasshopper pest in the Peace region in northwestern Alberta called Bruner’s spur-throated grasshopper that could pose problems for producers if conditions are right this year. That’s because the insect has a two-year life cycle, and odd-numbered years like 2023 are when its population tends to rise.

Flea beetles
Barkley notes flea beetles are a perennial canola pest for Alberta farmers. 

“Anybody growing canola knows they have to be scouting and that they need to know what their action threshold looks like.”

Barkley says flea beetles emerge in April and May hungry and ready to feast on canola early, at the cotyledon stage, after overwintering in areas with long grass, under trees, etc.

“We had a healthy population going into the fall, and that means we could very well have a healthy population just waiting for that baby canola. But if the spring is good and there’s good moisture and the canola can get out past (the flea beetles), they won’t be as big of a concern,” she says.

Wheat midge
Barkley says wheat producers in the areas east of Edmonton between Vermilion and Viking should be aware high wheat midge numbers last year mean the insect could be a concern this growing season.

“Late June and onwards is when you can expect to have to deal with them,” she says. “If your wheat is at the susceptible stage, you are going to want to do some scouting for them and know your threat level,” she says.

Wheat stem sawfly
Barkley says wheat stem sawfly is another cereal pest farmers need to watch for, particularly in the southeastern corner of the province.

Surveys indicated the insect was more spread out than usual in that part of Alberta last year, she says. Therefore, if 2023 sees another hot, dry summer, wheat stem sawfly could be a problem.

Resources for farmers

Prairie producers can get weekly updates on problem insects in their areas this growing season through the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network. Farmers can also find the PPMN’s final insect survey results for the three Prairie provinces for 2022 at prairiepest.ca.

Here are some other resources farmers can use for scouting and management tips, as well as to assess insect threat levels in their areas:

• Alberta Agriculture offers insect scouting tips for farmers and agronomists at alberta.ca/field-scouting.aspx. It also has some instructional scouting videos, such as “Identifying and Scouting Wheat Midge” on YouTube.
• “Grasshoppers in Saskatchewan” is a recorded webinar by James Tansey that can help farmers identify different grasshopper species. Access it at attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/7809907373792439307.
• Manitoba Agriculture has fact sheets on insect pests.
• Up-to-date research and insect reports are available on the Western Forum on Pest Management website.
• Field Heroes publishes a free Pests and Predators Field Guide that shows farmers how to identify and manage insect pests and how to identify and protect beneficial insects.

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