Field peas show signs of notching after being fed on by adult pea leaf weevils.

Time to tag pea leaf weevil

Agronomists hope a survey on pea leaf weevil will give a better sense of where the pest is and how many of them there are

It’s time to put Manitoba on the map — the risk map for pea leaf weevil, that is. Manitoba is the last Prairie province to get the pest, but the province’s bug experts and pulse specialists know it’s lurking. Not only that, according to Laura Schmidt, production specialist with the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers

Grasshopper eggs.

Don’t count your silver linings before they’re hatched

Cool, wet conditions may slow grasshopper emergence, but it’s unlikely to make a dent in this year’s populations

Farmers who think they might get a reprieve from the grasshopper problems they’ve had in recent years, because of the excessive rainfall in April and May, may need to temper those expectations, warns Manitoba Agriculture entomologist, John Gavloski. “A lot of people make the assumption that if there’s a lot of standing water in the


Striped flea beetles gather on a canola plant.

Flea beetles meet the flood

Is there reason to be optimistic about flea beetles this year?

After a couple of dry years and significant losses due to flea beetle infestations, canola farmers are asking if the wet soils they’re planting into might be cause for optimism. The answer, it appears, is a resounding, “maybe.” Stress to canola is stress to canola, whether it comes from a wet spring or a year

Flea beetles in canola seedlings. (Canola Council of Canada video screengrab via YouTube)

Eastern Prairies’ wet conditions may curb insect pest risk

Late-seeded crops may germinate more quickly in warmer soils

MarketsFarm — If there could be one benefit to the excessive moisture across much of southern Manitoba and the Interlake region, that would be a potentially reduced risk for insect pests, according to John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Resource Development. For example, Gavloski cited flea beetles, which could damage canola. “If [canola]


Outside of varroa mite stress in 2021, the provincial apiarist also noted reports of feed problems in some hives.

Drought sets stage on bee losses, mite issues

The 2021 drought is the unwanted gift that keeps giving

Last year’s drought is a likely suspect in Manitoba’s high honeybee losses, and for multiple reasons, apiary experts say. Ian Steppler, chair of the Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association (MBA), says diagnostics are ongoing, but conditions last year — which saw little rain until mid- to late summer, followed by abnormal growth and blooming in fall —

France’s Ynsect expands in U.S. pet food market with Jord buy

French provider of edible insects for animal and human feed Ynsect has purchased U.S. mealworm producer Jord Producers, expanding its footprint in the booming U.S. pet food market. Ynsect breeds mealworms that produce proteins for aquaculture, livestock, pet food and fertilizers. The company made its first entry into the U.S. market in late 2021 through


Concerns over importing pests like varroa mite have kept Manitoba beekeepers from endorsing U.S. imports.

VIDEO: Beekeepers opt for closed border on U.S. bulk bees

Bulk bee imports from the U.S. have been closed for decades, and Manitoba’s beekeepers say they would like it to stay that way

Manitoba’s beekeeping sector won’t be endorsing any push to reopen the U.S. border to American bulk bee shipments. In late February, a majority of members at the Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association (MBA) annual meeting shot down a resolution to support the Canadian Honey Council, should the national industry group ever lobby the federal government to allow

Clear-winged grasshoppers were also present but mostly gave crops a pass in favour of pasture.

Flea beetles, grasshoppers poised for reprises in Manitoba fields

These insects did a lot of damage last year, and could return this season

Flea beetles and grasshoppers were amongst the biggest insect challenges last season, and they could be set to surge again this year, if conditions are right. John Gavloski, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development entomologist, said both were a huge issue throughout the province. “They were major concerns over the past season, and when I say


Diamondback hit the eastern part of the province and the Interlake hardest last year.

Intermittent pests played role last season

Most of these insects only arrive in numbers if the conditions line up

Although grasshoppers and flea beetles were last season’s major insect pests in Manitoba, there were a few other players that caused significant trouble on a regional scale. Many farmers in different parts of the province had diamondback moth and cereal aphids blow in with the winds. Others had trouble with alfalfa weevils and lygus bugs.

Western corn rootworm larvae undermine the roots of corn plants, but rotation disrupts their life cycle.

Two new pest insects found in province

ENTOMOLOGY | Manitoba reported the first-ever cases of western corn rootworm and cannabis aphid this year

There are two new pest insects in Manitoba, according to provincial entomologist John Gavloski. A seasonal summary of the year’s crop pests, released in mid-November, noted Manitoba’s first cases of western corn rootworm and cannabis aphid in 2021. Why it matters: Manitoba can add two new insects onto the pest radar after this year. While