In this episode of the Pests & Predators podcast, host Shaun Haney is joined by entomologist Carol Frost and PhD student Rachel Pizante of the University of Alberta to explore the surprising power of hoverflies in Prairie cropping systems. This conversation highlights recent research showing how treed field borders can dramatically increase the presence of… Read More
Category: Beneficial Insects
Understanding what keeps beneficial insects thriving is just as important as what keeps pests at bay, but ideal conditions for parasitoids and predators aren’t well understood. Abbe Pawluk used her masters studies at the University of Lethbridge to explore the impact on habitat quality on specific parasitoid wasps to try and gauge if certain types… Read More
On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Tracey Baute with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, and Tyler Wist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to discuss early season insect management. On the list: wireworm, cutworms, flea beetles, and slugs; plus we dig in to pre-seeding selection impacts on wheat… Read More
Ecosystems are strange and wonderful places, and the ecosystem within canola fields is no exception. It can be easy to overlook the incredible abundance of interactions between different arthropods, including insects and spiders, happening within the canola canopy. Plus, when a farmer or agronomist sees damaged plants, it can be challenging to figure out if… Read More
As a young boy, Dr. Charles Vincent loved heading to the family farm just outside of Montreal, Quebec. His fascination with farming led him to start a degree in agronomy, where he instead fell in love with the study of insects, eventually leading to a 40-year career studying agriculture pests for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada…. Read More
It’s time to close out July with some important reminders, a plan for trying new things, and a prompting to check for ladybugs. On this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson also has to correct his math on soil organic matter goals, but that’s OK, that’s how we learn. Listen on to hear… Read More
A flowering canola crop looks pretty and smells great — to humans and insects alike. Canola has a laundry list of insect pest species, from ones that target stems and leaves, to super destructive pests that destroy pods and ruin seeds. A sweep net is a humble tool, but one that when wielded by a… Read More
While it is well understood that beneficial insects are an important factor in crop pest management, there has been little research into how aware farmers are of the insects that contribute to successful harvests. Beneficial species such as lady beetles, lacewings and ground beetles can help reduce the need to spray and can be hard… Read More
The insect world is a fascinating mix of prey and predator. Wherever there are insects — pest or beneficial — there are dynamic interactions that can greatly impact behaviour and even population dynamics, even if insects are not being eaten or attacked. Understanding the stress of interaction and awareness of their enemies without actually being… Read More
It’s a beetle-eat-worm world out there in the field, and it pays to know which insects are doing the eating of others, says Tyler Wist in this latest episode of the Pests and Predators podcast, brought to you by Field Heroes. Wist, entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Saskatoon, says that Ladybird beetles are… Read More