Beneficial insects Archives - Page 2 of 3

Flea beetles are showing signs of resistance to pyrethroids in Europe, where neonics have been banned for years.

Neonics still best flea beetle option

There’s mounting evidence the European ban has significant unintended consequences, entomologist says

By Don Norman February 6, 2023

Neonicotinoids used as a seed treatment remain the safest and most effective tool for managing flea beetles, an entomologist says. Neonicotinoids are a widely used class of insecticides available since the 1990s. Concerns about their environmental impact emerged in the early 2000s, when studies showed they caused harm to honeybees and other pollinators. These findings

Clumps of grasshoppers, killed by a fungus, are scattered throughout a field.

Crops, News

Weird pest phenomena a boon for farmers

They might sound creepy, but aphid ‘mummies’ and ‘summit disease’ are signs friendly fungi, insects are at hand

By Geralyn Wichers January 24, 2023

For once, it’s not a bad thing if the mummy returns – unless you’re an aphid. In 2022, pea aphids plagued many Manitoba farmers, said John Gavloski, entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture. Aphids on soybeans also hit economic levels, particularly in the central, east and Interlake regions. “Some people were caught in a dilemma,” Gavloski told

The European honeybee, vital to pollination and the honey industry but not suitable for all crops such as seed alfalfa or some fruit or greenhouse crops.

Farmit Manitoba

A multitude of bees are your tireless workers

You might be surprised to find out just how much extra canola a few more pollinators can bring to your bins

By Gord Leathers February 10, 2021

Canola growers like what happens when they enlist hives of honeybees to help tend their crops. According to figures presented to the Manitoba Agronomist Conference earlier this winter by Melanie Dubois of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, pollination increases production by as much as 46 per cent. And the quality of the seed set is significantly

Wolf spiders, robber flies, coyotes and burrowing owls are happy to dine on grasshoppers.

Crops

Predators line up for grasshoppers

Grasshoppers might be voracious — but so are the many things that consume them

By Gord Leathers February 9, 2021

Farmers fear grasshoppers because, according to legend, they eat everything. There’s a flip side to this and farmers can use it to their advantage. In the grand scheme of Prairie ecology everything eats grasshoppers. “They do have a positive side,” Dan Johnson of the University of Lethbridge told the Manitoba Agronomists Conference earlier this winter.

Flea beetle is one of the pests a Manitoba researcher is targeting with biotechnology.

Crops, News

Targeting your crop enemies

Is the future of crop protection environmentally friendly biotechnology?

By Don Norman January 5, 2021

So far biotechnology in agriculture has driven the use of crop protection products through genetically engineered herbicide resistance. But the next wave could displace at least some of those applications by opening up another front in the war on two familiar canola concerns — sclerotinia and flea beetle. Mark Belmonte, a professor of biological science

Lady beetle making a meal out of aphids.

Crops, Local news

Participants wanted for on-farm study of flowering habitats

Study will look at impact of flowering habitats for pollinators, natural enemies of pests

By Manitoba Agriculture February 8, 2019

Pollinators and natural enemies of pests may improve the health of agroecosystems. Have you considered practices to enhance them on your farm? If so, we want to partner with you for an on-farm project. Project Establish flowering plants at crop field margins to determine if this habitat increases crop productivity by increasing pollinators and natural

Local news, News, Other

Pollinator study looks for producer buy-in

A University of Manitoba researcher is looking for land to measure the impact of pollinator strips

By Alexis Stockford October 1, 2018

Jason Gibbs of the University of Manitoba wants to know more about how pollinator strips impact the field, and he’s hoping local producers will help him. The professor of entomology has put the call out for producers willing to volunteer about one acre for pollinator habitat. Gibbs plans to plant a strip of flowering plants

Dr. Poonam Singh, (r), discusses how good bugs can fight bad bugs with (from left): Assiniboine  student Gopin Patel, Shelmerdine employee Stephanie Walker and Assiniboine research intern  Tiffany Nykolyshyn.

Country Crossroads, Local news

It’s a bug-eat-bug world, says Assiniboine faculty member

Researcher uses $25,000 NSERC grant to reduce pesticide use

By Assiniboine Community College July 26, 2018

Bugs that eat bugs fascinate Dr. Poonam Singh. The instructor and researcher at Assiniboine Community College is studying the effectiveness of using “good bugs” to control pests that injure and sometimes kill plants. Singh is the first instructor at Assiniboine to receive a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Crops

Seven beneficial insects on your farm

By Melanie Epp June 1, 2018

When making crop production management decisions, consider beneficial insect populations. These harmless bugs can provide adequate control if their populations are high enough. Some beneficial insects are hard to identify, but with some basic training producers should be able to spot them in the field. The following beneficial insects are found in most crops in

Bees and other beneficial insects could some day benefit from new pyrethroid pesticide research.

Did you know?, News

Spare the bees

New research may make for better-targeted pesticides that do their job but don’t hurt beneficial insects

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff December 4, 2017

Pyrethroid pesticides could be modified with a few molecular tweaks to eliminate pests while preserving beneficial insects like bees. Those are the findings of researchers at Michigan State University’s entomology department in a study featured in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These pesticides target a protein known as the

Daily Network News

U.S. livestock: Cattle rebound on technical buying

U.S. grains: Soybeans fall as rapid harvest overshadows China trade hopes

Good weather pushes Alberta harvest along

Tag Archives Beneficial insects