Category: Pests Predators

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

One of the most important things to learn about a pest before trying to manage for it, is to learn its lifecycle and assess the economic damage it can do. Jeremy Irvine, masters student with the University of Saskatchewan, is working on this important information for an uncommon pest: the lesser clover leaf weevil. Mainly… 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

Several of the crop pest species farmers grapple with in a season aren’t actually native to the area. Pea leaf weevil, cabbage seedpod weevil, and wheat midge all came from other geographies before setting up shop on the Canadian Prairies. Still more insect pests could find their way here — or could be here already… Read More

What can you learn from two decades of scouting canola fields? Turns out — a lot. In this episode of the Pests & Predators Podcast, brought to you by Field Heroes, host Shaun Haney is joined by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada entomologist Jennifer Otani, based at Beaverlodge, Alta., to talk about those lessons learned from… Read More

Scouting fields, it’s very common to see several species of beetle scurrying along the ground and up plants. Plenty of these beetles are likely friends and not foes, as ground beetles are a diverse species with plenty of members doing good work in the crop canopy. Dr. Khaldoun Ali, a plant-insect ecologist at the University… Read More

Wheat stem sawfly is a sneaky pest, as the damage caused by the larvae happens inside the cereal plant away from scouting eyes and out of reach of insecticides. Regardless of the struggle, this little yellow and black insect does require scouting and careful planning for its management as it is a pest on the… Read More

Along the lines of think before you drink and call before you dig, farmers should be scouting before they… tear out old fence lines and shelterbelts or fill in potholes. OK, we’ll admit the tagline needs work, but current Prairie ecosystems don’t always have huge areas to host biodiversity, and even small pockets of brush,… Read More

The focus is on pea aphids in this episode of the Pest & Predators podcast — and more importantly, what eats them! We know pea aphids can cause some definite damage in pulse crops — but to what extent? Dr. Tyler Wist, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Saskatoon, joins host Shaun Haney to discuss the… Read More