Focus on grasshoppers continues: Crop Pest Update

Summary

Insects: Grasshopper monitoring and management continues. Levels of pea aphids at or over the economic threshold have been found in some pea fields that are starting to flower in the Central region.

Levels of barley thrips around threshold have been reported from some barley fields. Lots of blister beetles are being noticed, including some of the species that when they are juveniles specialize in eating grasshopper eggs.

Flea beetle insecticide applications have wrapped up, as most fields are now past the susceptible stages.

Weeds: Sprayers kept rolling over this last week doing a good job of keeping up with weed control.

We are close to finishing up all herbicide applications, with late-seeded canola crops still needing spraying and second pass glyphosate applications going on corn and soybeans. Wet fields have been challenging to drive in, ruts and stuck sprayers have been seen across the province.

Generally weed control has been very good, though some glufosinate applications did not seem to work well, warranting respraying. This was a difficult situation given the tight glufosinate supplies.