They’re small, quick, with piercing/sucking mouth parts that can make a real mess of canola seeds — that’s right, we’re talking lygus bugs.
As Keith Gabert explains in this Canola School, there are several factors to consider when scouting for lygus bugs. First, environmental conditions like wind or heat can make numbers seem lower than they are, and, second, the stage of the lygus and the stage of the crop both have to be considered when deciding if control is necessary.
Gabert, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, goes on to explain what feeding damage by lygus bugs looks like, how to distinguish between instars and what the factors to consider when determining whether or not a spray application is necessary.
If you can’t see the embedded player, click here to hear this interview.
