insects Archives - Page 8 of 11

Nature’s fly control program

Parasitic wasps won’t eliminate flies, but can reduce numbers

By Debbie Chikousky June 20, 2017

With the arrival of spring comes the new crop of flies. Since experiencing fly strike last year, controlling the fly population is more of a priority. Last summer we began to notice not only were sprays not working as well as they used to, they are getting harder to find. This is due to tighter restrictions […] Read more

Those wildflowers growing in the ditch may be offering more than just a splash of colour.

Crops, Features

Protecting beneficial insects

By Lisa Guenther June 5, 2017

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

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

By Melanie Epp May 29, 2017

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

By Lisa Guenther May 26, 2017

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

Spring fieldwork in between Glaslyn and Livelong, in northwest Sask. Wet weather has delayed spring field work for many farmers in the Glaslyn area.

Crops, News

Seeding progress in Sask. runs the gamut

Many farmers playing catch-up due to wet conditions, dealing with last year's crops

By Lisa Guenther May 19, 2017

About 30 per cent of the 2017 crop is seeded, according to the latest Saskatchewan Agriculture Crop Report. But while the province as a whole is close to the five-year average, actual seeding progress varies tremendously across the province and even within regions. Farmers in the southeast have 60 per cent of the crop in […] 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

By Angela Lovell May 16, 2017

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

The topmost spikelets were shrivelled and bleached-looking, and the awns were also white and bent.

Cereals, Crops, Spring Wheat

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: Deformed wheat spikelets spell trouble

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the February 7, 2017 issue of Grainews

By Tess Strand May 5, 2017

Dan operates a 5,000-acre grain farm south of Canora, Sask. Last summer, he called me mid-July to inquire if any other producers in the area were discovering white heads in their hard red spring wheat crops. In certain areas of his fields, he said, shortly after heading, some wheat plants had developed a whitish tinge […] Read more

Cabbage seedpod weevils are attracted to the buds on early canola plants. They feed on the buds, migrating as the crop comes into bloom.

Canola, Crops

When to spray cabbage seedpod weevil

If you have to spray for the cabbage seedpod  weevil, get the timing right

By Melanie Epp March 21, 2017

The first time Alberta grain farmer Jay Schultz remembers hearing about cabbage seedpod weevil was in 2005 at the University of Alberta when Dr. Lloyd Dosdall warned that it could become a major pest in the province. Schultz, who farms 6,000 acres near Standard, Alta., said that he never really paid attention, that is, until […] Read more

Cereals, Crops, Features

Wireworm: hard to control and on the rise

Without Lindane, there’s very little that cereal growers can do to control this pest

By Dilia Narduzzi February 27, 2017

Wireworms ruin many cereal crops, and they’ve been on the rise since the federal government banned lindane for use as a pesticide in 2004. Lindane killed the bugs outright says Dr. Bob Vernon, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), and since its banning “there is really nothing that will kill them.” “Wireworms […] Read more

Flea beetle damage on a canola seedling.

Canola, Crops

Keep your canola standing strong against flea beetles

Agronomy tips... from the field

By Ted Labun February 8, 2017

When coming up with a flea beetle defence strategy, it’s important to remember that flea beetles overwinter in your field as adults. That means they’re right there, just waiting to feed as soon as your canola crop emerges in the spring. Canola seedlings can compensate for flea beetle feeding and recover — just so long […] Read more

CFIA rejects beekeeper proposals on U.S. packaged bees

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall hard, hogs mixed

Alberta Crop Report: Scattered rains, crop conditions

GFM Network News