insects Archives - Page 6 of 19 - Manitoba Co-operator

Lady beetle larvae can be identified by their long shape, body texture and distinctive dark colouring with patches of lighter highlights.

The under-recognized aphid eaters

The larvae of lady beetles are less commonly identified, but take just as big a bite out of crop pest populations

By Gord Leathers August 1, 2023

The insect experts say that every farmer across the Prairies should have a huge picture of coccinellidae larvae on their machine shop wall. If the scientific name doesn’t sound familiar, the common name certainly will. It’s the family of beetles that includes ladybugs and Asian lady beetles. “Everybody recognizes the adults and everyone knows they’re

“Monarchs as a species are not about to go extinct, but the fascinating long-distance migration of monarchs from Manitoba and other parts of central and eastern North America is under threat.” – Jeffrey Marcus, University of Manitoba.

News

The tricky question of milkweed and monarchs

Milkweed species, the sole food source for the larvae of monarch butterflies, are reappearing in Manitoba farm fields, leading to a conservation balancing act

By Don Norman July 13, 2023

The reappearance of milkweed in crops across the province is giving farmers a tough choice between weed control and conservation. In Canada, there are 14 species of native milkweed that are the sole food group for monarch butterflies. Two of those species are listed on Manitoba Agriculture’s noxious weed list: common milkweed and showy milkweed.

Flea beetles can cause significant crop damage in canola.

Crops, News

Manitoba farmers get flea beetle reprieve

Faster plant establishment has helped canola get ahead of the pests

By Don Norman June 23, 2023

There is good news about flea beetles. “This year has definitely been a better story when it comes to flea beetles for Manitoba,” said Courtney Boyachek, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada. To say flea beetles have been a nuisance for canola farmers for the past several years would be an understatement. Normally,

A sprouted wheat kernel, in which the sprout is visibly still within the contour of the germ, is classified as “regular sprouted.” (GrainsCanada.gc.ca)

Crops

Grain grading guide to tighten definition of ‘severely’ sprouted wheat

More changes, clarifications on deck for Aug. 1

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News June 14, 2023

A laboratory review of the end-use quality of sprouted wheat will lead to changes in how wheat is graded starting Aug. 1 this year. The Canadian Grain Commission on Tuesday announced changes in store effective Aug. 1 for how Canadian wheat is graded, along with a list of clarifications and new housekeeping rules for the

Pterostichus melanarius ground beetles have garnered interest as possible predators for pea leaf weevil.

Crops, News

Ground beetle biocontrol against pea leaf weevil

Management of pea leaf weevil is tricky, since by the time the farmer knows they have a problem, it’s often too late to spray

By Gord Leathers June 12, 2023

Pea leaf weevil is a nasty pest of peas and faba bean and its quirky behaviour makes it almost impossible to manage. The weevils are small and difficult to see. The farmer often doesn’t know they’re in the field until they find nicks in the leaves of their crop. By that time, it’s too late

Pea leaf weevil. (Alberta Agriculture photo)

Crops, Weather

Insects posing problems in Saskatchewan crops

Grasshopper, flea beetle damage already reported

By GFM Network News, Glen Hallick - MarketsFarm June 1, 2023

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

Flea beetle. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Crops, Weather

Best to be scouting for insect pests

'Definitely' watch canola for flea beetles

By GFM Network News, Glen Hallick - MarketsFarm May 17, 2023

MarketsFarm — Although it is still relatively early in the crop year, Manitoba entomologist John Gavloski strongly advises farmers to carefully watch their fields for any signs of insect pests. 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,

“They’re still kind of suffering those economic losses a bit and still trying to recoup their numbers.” – Derek Micholson, Manitoba Agriculture.

Livestock, News

Beekeepers off to a better start in 2023

Normal bee mortality would be a boon for the beekeeping sector after dismal rates last year

By Alexis Stockford May 12, 2023

Manitoba’s beekeepers are once again fighting “spring dwindle,” but winter losses are closer to normal compared to last year. “I’m not getting the absolute demoralizing reports from beekeepers,” said Manitoba Beekeepers Association president Ian Steppler. “I think we still have a high winter loss, but not as severe as last year’s.” Why it matters: The

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

By Aleksandra Jessica Dolezal, Andrew MacDougall, Dirk Steinke, Jeremy deWaard May 8, 2023

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,

An adult lygus bug. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Crops

Matador, Voliam insecticides back in ‘limited’ release

Revised labels prohibit feeding, foraging of treated crops

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News April 24, 2023

Syngenta Canada no longer plans to keep its lambda-cyhalothrin insecticide products off the market in Western Canada this year — but it’s planning to have a smaller supply. The crop chem and seed company announced Friday it will have a “limited amount” of its lambda-cy-based products Matador 120EC and Voliam Xpress available in the West

Daily Network News

Trump tells farmers that tractor companies should lower prices

Get farmers in on federal water security strategy planning, CFA says

U.S. finalizes biofuel blending quotas for 2026-27, cuts RINS for foreign feedstocks

Tag Archives insects