Insect of the Week (June 29, 2015) - Grasshopper

The grasshopper (Packard, clearwinged, migratory and two-striped) is this week's Insect of the Week  (from the new Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada - Identification and Management Field Guide - download links available on the Insect of the Week page). 

Insect of the Week (July 22, 2015) - Cabbage seedpod weevil

The cabbage seedpod weevil (Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham)) is this week's Insect of the Week  (from the new Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada - Identification and Management Field Guide - download links available on the Insect of the Week page). 

Weekly Update for Week 4 (June 17, 2015) has been updated!

Today we updated the Bertha armyworm and Grasshopper sections of the Weekly Update that was originally posted on June 17, 2015!  

Please review either the Post (in HTML format) by scrolling down below and selecting it OR access a PDF copy of the updated file.

Insect of the Week (June 15, 2015) - Lygus bugs

The lygus bug (Lygus spp.) is this week's Insect of the Week (from the new Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada - Identification and Management Field Guide). 

Environment Canada's weather radar and precipitation events

If your field is near one of Environment Canada’s radar stations, you can access weather radar maps in video format which show the past 1hr OR 3hrs of precipitation events.  These maps can help growers review where and how much precipitation fell nearby.

We included screen shots of Environment Canada’s webpages below and we added red text and arrows to help.

Predicted wheat midge emergence for 2015

The map below is the first of the predicted emergence maps for the wheat midge for the 2015 growing season.  Remember, wheat midge emergence and flight will also be affected by precipitation events and wind.  Even so, if you are hoping to catch the very first wheat midge as they start to emerge, keep watching the map below for areas that will be highlighted below as lime-green (i.e., 600-693 DD). 

Rain fell over the past five days so watch for the updated map in the Weekly Update which should be available by Thursday.

Insect of the Week (June 08, 2015) - Swede midge

The swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii (Keiffer)) is this week's Insect of the Week  (from the new Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada - Identification and Management Field Guide). 

NEW! Field Guide to Support Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Field and Forage Crops - NOW available for download

Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada: IDENTIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT FIELD GUIDE

Whether you’re a new or experienced producer, agrologist or field scout in Western Canada, “What’s ‘bugging’ this crop?” and “Does it need to be controlled?” are typical questions raised when scouting for pests in a field of grain, oilseed, pulse or forage.

This new, 152-page, full-colour field guide, now available online, is designed to help you make informed decisions in managing over 90 harmful pests of field and forage crops in Western Canada. Better decision making helps save time and effort and eliminates unnecessary pesticide applications to improve your bottom line. The guide also helps the reader identify many natural enemies that prey on or parasitize pest insects. Recognizing and fostering populations of natural enemies will enhance their role in keeping or reducing pest populations below economic levels.

FREE download from www.publications.gc.ca
Click here to download English, French

What you’ll find inside:

Description of over 90 economic pests and 30+ natural enemy species or species groups:

• diagnostic characteristics
• life cycle
• damage
• monitoring/scouting techniques
• economic threshold
• control options: biological, cultural and chemical

Large full-colour photos depicting various life stages of featured pests and natural enemies

Overview of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies

Natural enemy and pest relationships

Book Description

Author: Hugh Philip, 2015

Published by: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, SK [with funding from the Pest Management Centre’s Pesticide Risk Reduction Program]

Pages: 152

Downloadable formats: pdf and pdf-enhanced [features internal hyperlinks allowing the reader to quickly jump to referenced pages]

Languages: Available in English and French

French title: Guide d’identification des ravageurs des grandes cultures et des cultures fourragères et de leurs ennemis naturels et mesures de lutte applicables à l’Ouest canadien

Dimensions: 27.9 x 21.6 cm (landscape)

Document numbers – regular pdf

• ISBN: 978-1-100-25768-6
• Catalogue Number: A59-23/2015E-PDF
• Department Number: AAFC No. 12327E

Document numbers – pdf-enhanced

• ISBN: 978-1-100-25952-9
• Catalogue Number: A59-23/2015E-PDF1
• Department Number: AAFC No. 12346E

Insect of the Week (June 01, 2015) - Pea leaf weevil

This week's Insect of the Week highlights pea leaf weevil (from the new Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada - Identification and Management Field Guide). 

NEW - Alfalfa Weevil Biology and Management Fact Sheet (Soroka 2015)

Calling all alfalfa producers: Have you seen this culprit feeding on alfalfa leaves?

Contact julie.soroka@agr.gc.ca for more information about this image.

Research led by Dr. Julie Soroka of AAFC-Saskatoon has resulted in a new Fact Sheet summarizing the biology and management of the Alfalfa weevil (Curculionidae: Hypera postica) which growers can view here.

Textual summary, photos of the weevil, the damage it causes AND the parasitoid that attacks it are all featured to aid in-field scouting and management of the Alfalfa weevil.

Wind Trajectories for the Canadian Prairies (June 1, 2015)

Wind trajectories Related to Diamondback Moth (DBM) and Aster Leafhopper Introductions to the Canadian Prairies in 2015

BACKGROUND:  Potential wind events capable of carrying insect pests from source areas in the USA can be identified by following trajectories for air parcels through time. High altitude air masses, originating from southern locations, frequently move northerly to Canadian destinations. Insect pest species such as Diamondback moth and Aster leafhoppers, traditionally unable to overwinter above the 49th parallel, can utilize these air masses in the spring to move north from Mexico and the United States (southern or Pacific northwest).

Wind trajectory data processing by AAFC-Saskatoon Staff (Weiss & Olfert) began in April.  Reverse Trajectories track air masses arriving across the prairies back to their point of origin.  Forward Trajectories predict favorable winds expected to arrive across the Canadian Prairies.  

Updated: June 1, 2015

1.  Reverse trajectories (RT)

Pacific Northwest (PNW) – Relative to the previous week, there has been an increase in the number of reverse trajectories that were predicted to cross the prairies over the last few days (May 30 – 1; May 31 – 10; June 1 – 17).

2.  Forward trajectories (FT) 

For the last couple of weeks the winds originating over southwest USA were generally tracking eastward, to the Atlantic Ocean. Over the last few days, forward trajectories are predicted to move north of 49^oN before moving in an eastward direction (e.g. Brownsville TX). Over the next few days these trajectories may carry insects north to the prairies.

3.  Trajectory summary for April 1-May 28, 2015 

Based trajectory data from April 1 – May 28, 2015, a greater number of trajectories were predicted to arrive across the prairies originating from the Pacific northwest (Figure 1) compared to southwest USA (Figure 2).

Figure 1

Figure 2