2019 Risk and Forecast Maps for the Prairies

The 2019 Prairie-Wide Risk and Forecast Maps can be viewed and downloaded here.

Economically significant insect pests are monitored across the Canadian prairies each year, thanks to extensive networks of collaborators and cooperators.  In 2018, that effort culminated in 5764 survey stops across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the BC Peace!  

Here's what's included in the PDF file:

• Average tempature, average precipitation, and modeled soil moisture for 2018.
• A series of geospatial maps are included for each of the target species; the current map is followed by the previous 4 years.  
• For some species, the geospatial maps represent 2018 distributions used to infer risk in the coming 2019 growing season.  Data is included for bertha armyworm, cabbage seedpod weevil, pea leaf weevil, wheat stem sawfly and diamondback moth.
• For wheat midge and grasshoppers, the geospatial maps forecast or predict expected populations or risk for the 2019 growing season.  

The historical Risk and Forecast Maps (2015-2019) are available for review.  

These maps help the agricultural industry prepare to manage insect pests across the prairies and helps growers make crop choices and anticipate scouting priorities within their growing region.  From May to July, the Weekly Updates will provide in-season updates, predictive model outputs plus scouting tips and links to relevant information.  

Thank you to the many people who monitor each growing season!

2017 Risk and Forecast Maps for the Prairies

The 2017 Prairie-Wide Risk and Forecast Maps can be viewed and downloaded here. Maps are generated for bertha armyworm, grasshoppers, wheat midge, cabbage seedpod weevil, pea leaf weevil, wheat stem sawfly, diamondback moth as well as average temperature, average precipitation, and modeled soil moisture for the Canadian prairies.

Thank you to the many people who monitor each growing season!  An astonishing 6414 survey stops were involved in the insect monitoring performed across the Canadian prairies in 2016!

Manitoba insect survey and forecast maps - J. Gavloski

Manitoba posts their 2016 Insect Survey and 2017 Forecast Maps up on their website! Take a moment to look over the following forecasts:

• Manitoba Grasshopper Forecast Map for 2017.
• Risk Forecast for Bertha Armyworm in Manitoba in 2016.
• Diamondback Moth Monitoring Program in Manitoba - 2016.

Manitoba growers can access general information on pest and beneficial insects from a series of fact sheets posted at the Insect section of their website.

More information related to the above maps and insects can be obtained by contacting Manitoba Agriculture entomologist John Gavloski.

Saskatchewan Insect Survey and Forecast Maps are available on Saskatchewan.ca - Hartley, Stephens

All the Saskatchewan Insect Survey and Forecast Maps and more can be found on Saskatchewan.ca ! To view all our agriculture maps check out our Maps for Farmers and Agribusiness section.

The Saskatchewan 2016 Bertha Armyworm moth accumulation map is posted.
The Saskatchewan 2016 Cabbage Seedpod Weevil Survey Map is posted.
Saskatchewan's 2016 Pea Leaf weevil Survey Map can be viewed.
The Saskatchewan 2017 Grasshopper Forecast Map is posted now.
Also, the Saskatchewan 2017 Wheat Midge Forecast Map is posted now.

Saskatchewan growers can access general Insect pest information located under our Crop Protection section.

More information related to the above maps and insects can be obtained by contacting Saskatchewan Agriculture's Scott Hartley or Danielle Stephens.

Alberta 2017 Forecast and 2016 Risk Maps plus updates to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry web pages - Meers, Barkley

Alberta has posted their forecast and survey maps for several insect pest species occurring in field crops.  Visit their home page to view all the Alberta maps.

The following list and hyperlinks were provided by Shelley Barkley via the Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network.

Scott Meers, entomologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, was interviewed and spoke about Alberta insect forecasts for 2017.  That series of five interviews can be access with the following hyperlinks:

1. 2017 Wheat Stem Sawfly and Cabbage Seedpod Weevil Forecasts
2. 2017 Pea Leaf Weevil Forecast
3. 2017 Wheat Midge Forecast
4. 2017 Bertha Armyworm Forecast
5. Grasshoppers

Additionally, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has updated their webpages with the following:

1. They have created a graphic that illustrates the "range expansion" of 2 evil weevils in Alberta: pea leaf and cabbage seedpod.
2. Similar graphics have been added to their bertha armyworm page.  Check out the past "six years of bertha armyworm moth" in Alberta which can be accessed via an hyperlink positioned on their bertha armyworm web page. 
3. Their grasshopper page has been updated too - check out the "historic grasshopper maps" for Alberta via a hyperlink located on their grasshopper web page. 
4. The past "eight years of sawfly" in Alberta can be accessed via a hyperlink located on their wheat stem sawfly web page.
5. Remember, if you have access to a large format printer, a poster of the 6 Alberta insect forecast maps is available to print.

2017 Wheat Midge Forecast Map for Alberta

Each fall, soil core sampling is carried out across the Canadian prairies to assess wheat midge densities and parasitism levels of the overwintering cocoon stage.  Soil collected from wheat fields is collected then the samples are washed to retrieve the tiny cocoons, each measuring only ~2-3mm in diameter (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Wheat midge cocoon sizes (L) compared to canola seed (R).

After washing, each cocoon is carefully dissected under the microscope to determine if a parasitoid larva has attacked the wheat midge larval host.  The densities of the cocoons, and the percent parasitism by the biological control agents (Macroglenes penetrans, Platygaster sp., Euxestonotus error), are compiled and used to generate the geospatial forecast map below.  

The Albertan 2017 wheat midge forecast is posted below (Fig. 2) and you can review previous maps for that province further down the page.  Be sure to review Alberta Agriculture & Forestry's full wheat midge forecast map posting and how they conduct their survey by linking here.

Figure 2.  Alberta wheat midge forecast map for 2017.

Additional information related to wheat midge biology and monitoring can be accessed by linking to your provincial fact sheet (Saskatchewan Agriculture or Alberta Agriculture & Forestry).  A review of wheat midge on the Canadian prairies was published by Elliott, Olfert, and Hartley in 2011.

More information about Wheat midge can be found by accessing the pages from the new "Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada: Identification and Field Guide".  View ONLY the Wheat midge pages but remember the guide is available as a free downloadable document as both an English-enhanced or French-enhanced version.

Weekly Update (May 11, 2016; Wk 02) - Predicted Grasshopper Development

Grasshoppers (Acrididae) – Warm conditions over the past seven days have resulted in rapid grasshopper development. Predicted mean embryological development was 74% (last week was 62%) with greatest development predicted to be in southern AB. Embryological development is predicted to be 16% ahead of long term average values (prairie wide). The model predicts that 4% of the hatch is complete (AB, SK and MB).

Recall that the 2016 Grasshopper Forecast Map circulated in January predicted the following risk areas.  

Biological and monitoring information related to grasshoppers in field crops is posted by the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network.  Also refer to the grasshopper pages within the new "Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada: Identification and management field guide" - both English-enhanced or French-enhanced versions are available.

2016 Risk and Forecast Maps for the Prairies

The most recent insect pest maps of the 2016 forecast maps can be viewed and downloaded here.