Insect Pest of the Week and the Entomologists that Study Them (June 29): Sugar Beet Pests / Feature entomologist: James Tansey

This week’s Insect of the Week feature crop is the sugar beet, a plant that has been grown in southern Alberta since 1925. Our feature entomologist this week is James Tansey.

Sugar Beets cc by 2.0 Ulrike Leone

Note: 

This year, we're doing things a bit differently for our Insect of the Week. Instead of focussing on a single insect (pest or natural enemy), we're looking at it from a crop perspective. Each week, we'll pick a crop and list the insects that attack it along with additional helpful information. The insect list is based on the information found in the Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada: Identification and Management field guide. The field guide offers information describing lifecycle, damage description, monitoring/scouting strategies, economic thresholds (where available) and control options) for each economic pest.

In addition to an Insect of the Week, we'll also feature one of the entomologists that helps support the PPMN, either directly or indirectly.

Insect Pest of the Week and the Entomologists that Study Them (June 15): Corn Pests / featuring Boyd Mori

This week’s Insect of the Week feature crop is corn, a crop grown across the Prairies. Our feature entomologist this week is Maya Evenden.

AAFC

Note: 

This year, we're doing things a bit differently for our Insect of the Week. Instead of focussing on a single insect (pest or natural enemy), we're looking at it from a crop perspective. Each week, we'll pick a crop and list the insects that attack it along with additional helpful information. The insect list is based on the information found in the Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada: Identification and Management field guide. The field guide offers information describing lifecycle, damage description, monitoring/scouting strategies, economic thresholds (where available) and control options) for each economic pest.

In addition to an Insect of the Week, we'll also feature one of the entomologists that helps support the PPMN, either directly or indirectly.

2019-2020 Risk and Forecast Maps Vankosky, Giffen, Weiss, Otani

Preparing for the 2020 growing season!

The Prairie-wide 2019-2020 Risk and Forecast Maps are now available below. Click to open the downloadable PDF file.



This week, we are preparing for the Weekly Update and Insect of the Week to return.  We hope everyone is staying safe and keeping well!

Questions or problems accessing the contents of this Weekly Update?  Please e-mail either Dr. Meghan Vankosky or Jennifer Otani.  Past “Weekly Updates” can be accessed on our Weekly Update page.

Subscribe to the Blog by following these easy steps!

Insect of the Week (Aug 08, 2016) - Natural predators

Last year, the focus of the Beneficial Insect of the Week was crop pests. This year, we’re changing things up and highlighting the many natural enemies that help you out, silently and efficiently killing off crop pests. [note: featured Insects of the Week in 2015 are available on the Insect of the Week page] 

Natural enemies don’t just appear from nowhere – they rely on nearby non-crop and (semi-)natural sites for shelter, food, overwintering sites and alternate hosts for when crop pests are either not present or in low numbers. How you manage these sites can have a huge impact on natural enemies’ capacity to supress pests when you need them to. These same sites are also essential habitats for pollinators, important for maximizing yield of non-cereal seed crops (e.g. oil seed crop). A recent publication, ‘Agricultural practices that promote crop pest suppression by natural predators’, describes the role of non-crop areas and management practices to nurture natural enemy populations.

Go to the Insect of the Week page for download links for this publication. There you will also find more information about natural enemies, the pests they control and details about important crop and forage pest insects by downloading the new Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada - Identification and Management Field Guide.

Insect of the Week (Aug 08, 2016) - Natural Predators

The importance of non-crop areas as habitat for beneficial insects

Last year, the focus of the Beneficial Insect of the Week was crop pests. This year, we’re changing things up and highlighting the many natural enemies that help you out, silently and efficiently killing off crop pests. [note: featured Insects of the Week in 2015 are available on the Insect of the Week page] 

Natural enemies don’t just appear from nowhere – they rely on nearby non-crop and (semi-)natural sites for shelter, food, overwintering sites and alternate hosts for when crop pests are either not present or in low numbers. How you manage these sites can have a huge impact on natural enemies’ capacity to supress pests when you need them to. These same sites are also essential habitats for pollinators, important for maximizing yield of non-cereal seed crops (e.g. oil seed crop). A recent publication, ‘Agricultural practices that promote crop pest suppression by natural predators’, describes the role of non-crop areas and management practices to nurture natural enemy populations.

Go to the Insect of the Week page for download links for this publication. There you will also find more information about natural enemies, the pests they control and details about important crop and forage pest insects by downloading the new Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada - Identification and Management Field Guide.

Weekly Update (May 18, 2016; Wk 03) - Crop protection guide

Reminder - Crop Protection Guides – If you don’t have a copy of your province’s Crop Protection Guide, please make use of these links to access:

• Saskatchewan's Crop Protection Guide
• Manitoba's Guide to Crop Protection Guide 
• Alberta's Crop Protection or Blue Book 
• Western Committee on Crop Pests Guidelines for the Control of Crop Pests 

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Seasonal canola scouting chart

Field scouting is critical because it enables the identification of potential risks to crops.  Canola production systems across the Canadian prairies will suffer insect pest outbreaks.  However, the identification of these insect pests PLUS the application of established monitoring methods will enable growers to make informed pest management decisions.

This year we offer a generalized canola scouting chart to aid in-field scouting on the Canadian prairies. Two versions are offered below – the first version contains hyperlinks to help growers learn more about some of our insect pests and how to monitor while the second version may be easier to view or print.  

Whenever possible, monitor and compare to established economic thresholds so pollinators and beneficial arthropods are preserved.  Economic thresholds, by definition, can help growers avoid crop losses due to an insect pest.

Good luck with the growing season!