As prairie farmers prepare for the upcoming growing season, entomologist John Gavloski with Manitoba Agriculture is urging them to keep a close eye on flea beetles, an insect that continues to pose challenges for canola growers.
“Flea beetles have been a chronic test for a long time, and I would say just bank on the fact that they're going to be there in high levels,”
He eXplained that ideal growing conditions could minimize the need for foliar spraying, but if cooler weather lingers and delays plant development, flea beetles could become a much bigger problem.
Grasshoppers, another concern for producers, are proving harder to predict.
“We do surveys every year, and the good news is that grasshopper levels seem to be down overall. We’ve mapped out population risks, and while there are some moderate to high-risk areas, most of the province is in the lower range.”
In addition to these common pests, Manitoba Agriculture is closely tracking two relatively new insect species to the province: the cabbage seed pod weevil and the pea leaf weevil.
“The cabbage seed pod weevil feeds inside canola pods, and we only started seeing them in Manitoba a few years ago. Their population is expanding eastward, but the numbers are still well below the economic threshold for control.”
Gavloski noted that surveys this year found the highest count at just six weevils in 25 sweeps, far below the 25-to-40 weevils in 10 sweeps required for control measures to be necessary.
Meanwhile, the pea leaf weevil is becoming a growing concern in certain areas.
“We first detected them in the Swan River Valley, and they’ve been moving east. The biggest increases are in the Russell, Roblin, and Gilbert Plains area. For those farmers, it’s worth getting familiar with them and monitoring levels closely.”
For growers in the central region, including Portage la Prairie, he said both weevil species are present but at low levels that do not currently require action. However, Manitoba Agriculture will continue monitoring their spread and alert producers if populations reach concerning levels.
Source : Pembinavalley online