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Striped flea beetles gather on a canola plant.
Crops, Oilseeds

Prepping for the 2024 canola crop

Planning for crop stresses now will set growers up for success when it is time to act: agronomists

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Winter isn’t exactly prime time to scout for insects, diseases and weeds, but last year’s pests may provide a baseline to help prepare for the next canola crop, agronomists say. “Review the challenges you had last year and have a plan in place as to how you’re going to handle them this year,” said Warren
Soybean cyst nematode was confirmed in Manitoba in 2019.
Crops, Features

Soybean cyst nematode in crosshairs for food-grade soybeans

Future varieties will resist diseases SCN and white mould

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Soybean cyst nematode and white mould are bad news for Canadian soybean growers and, although both are more of an issue to the east, SCN has been creeping into Manitoba for the last five years. In 2021, Manitoba saw its first field with symptoms, although the first finding of the nematode dates back to 2019.
Pea leaf weevil. (Alberta Agriculture photo)
Crops, Weather

Insects posing problems in Saskatchewan crops

Grasshopper, flea beetle damage already reported

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MarketsFarm – Although it’s still early in the growing season, some insect pests have already posed a threat to crops in Saskatchewan or could do so in the near future, according to James Tansey, provincial specialist for insects/invertebrate pest management. Among the pests he cited were grasshoppers, flea beetles and pea leaf weevils.  Tansey said
According to a meta-analysis of 58 published studies, spiders suppressed agricultural pest insects in 79 per cent of studies, which resulted in improved crop performance.
Comment, Op/Ed

Comment: Lessons learned from spider guts

Spider stomach contents can sharpen our understanding of their role in agricultural pest control

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Spiders are important insect predators, and understanding what’s in their gut could help agriculture deploy them against pests. That’s easier said than done. Spider diet, and how much they actually target crop pest species, is crucial to determine how effective spiders are at biocontrol. However, since spiders liquefy the remains of prey with digestive enzymes,
A greater focus on soil health and boosting yields is driving more interest in biologicals.
Crops, News

Biologicals look to solve pressing issues in agriculture

Greater investment pushes toward biological solutions

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When it comes to technology, potential often outweighs practical, at least until an opportunity is created for the latter. At the Ontario Agriculture Conference earlier this year, a presentation on the promise of biologicals acknowledged their potential, but called for continued verification. Although there are many products on the horizon, further research is needed to confirm their benefits.
Bachus flavenses.
Farmit Manitoba

Beneficial insects bring farmer benefit

They’re an often overlooked limiting factor for crop eating pests

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Insecticides do a lot of good work in fields but they’re also a measure of last resort. The first line of defence is frequently an unpaid and overlooked army of beneficial insects that protect the crop by feasting on its insect foes. John Gavloski, Manitoba’s provincial entomologist, told a recent Crop Talk webinar that often when pest populations
Hoverfly.
Farmit Manitoba

Protecting insect workers

A little management can go a long way towards keeping this unpaid workforce on your farm

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It’s a big challenge to control insect pests while doing the minimum harm to beneficial insects. Manitoba entomologist John Gavloski has a few pointers. First, trust and use the economic thresholds that are available. “If you are spraying for insects when you don’t need to, especially with some broad-spectrum insecticide, there can be a lot
With grasshopper populations rising, now might be the time to consider some new strategies.
News

Grasshopper populations on the rise

Lessons from organic farms reveal a broader approach to grasshopper management

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There is a low risk of a widespread grasshopper infestation in Manitoba this year, though there are a few areas of concern. “I don’t want people to let the guard down,” says John Gavloski, Manitoba Agriculture’s entomologist. “I certainly don’t want to indicate that we’re in an outbreak because I don’t believe that’s necessarily true.
“[Flea beetle] seem to overwinter well under our Prairie conditions and we don’t have the natural enemies that seem to knock a population out, the way it does to other insects.” – John Gavloski.
News

The year in pest insects on Manitoba fields

There were many of the usual suspects and some strange new issues in Manitoba fields last season

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Flea beetles and grasshoppers topped provincial entomologist John Gavloski’s list as the peskiest insects on Manitoba farms this past season and he said producers should be on the lookout for them next year. In addition, “we’ve got three aphid species this year along with your army worms, lygus and cutworms, but our biggest surprise of the year
Flea beetles are showing signs of resistance to pyrethroids in Europe, where neonics have been banned for years.
Crops, Oilseeds

Neonics still best flea beetle option

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

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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

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