Western Bean Cutworm Update

The Midwest is alive with WBC moths.  Moths have been captured this year much earlier and in higher numbers in Michigan, Ohio, Ontario and Pennsylvania.  Current Trap Catch Maps are available at: Ontario Michigan Ohio This increases our risk of having eggs laid in corn, since corn was planted so early this year and is […]

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Stink Bug Injury in Corn

On occasion we see this odd looking injury in corn in Ontario.  It can be deceiving as the culprit that did the damage is usually long gone.  Only once the whorl of the corn opens up is the damage noticeable.  Stink bug injury is often confused with mechanical injury from the sprayer or even herbicide […]

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More WBC Moths Captured

There have been 5 western bean cutworm moths found in traps so far in Ontario.  All have been in the southwestern part of the province.  First two were caught on June 14th!  To put things into perpective, last year it took until July 12th to catch a total of 5 moths in the province so […]

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More About Grass Sawfly

I had the fortune of speaking with specialists at the University of Delaware (Galen Dively and Joanne Whalen) yesterday and learned more about these grass sawflies.  Delaware finds them in many of their fields every year and scouts early each season to see if they are going to be a problem.  Here is what I’ve […]

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Rose Chafer Adults

There have been a few sightings of large masses of rose chafer adults in corn, soybeans and even other crops like strawberries.  These adults are known to be pests in grapes and well, roses. Even though the masses of adults look alarming, they are not going to do much damage to the corn and soybeans.   […]

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More Grass Sawfly Sites Found

Several wheat fields were found with grass sawfly north of London from Hyde Park to Kintore and St. Marys.  Damage averaged anywhere from 3 heads clipped per square meter to 30 heads clipped per square meter!  Reports have also come in from Rodney, Glencoe, Molesworth, Brussels and now northern Huron County. Scout fields to determine […]

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Grass Sawflies Clipping Heads in Wheat Too

There have been a number of reports of heads being clipped in wheat.  Some of it can be blamed on armyworm, but some cases (at least in Rodney) have been due to larvae known as grass sawflies.  These larvae are green to green-yellow in colour with a yellow brown head.  They look like caterpillars but […]

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Armyworm Alert – SCOUT SCOUT SCOUT

I have heard reports now from a few different locations of both wheat heads being clipped and leaf feeding taking place in corn in southwestern Ontario.  This is a good sign that true armyworm is present. Both wheat and corn fields need to be scouted to determine if armyworm is present.  Here is an article […]

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Cutworms Continue to Mine and Cut

Calls continue to come in of feeding damage found even in corn larger than 5 leaf stage.  Some of the larger plants (6-7 leaf) are being mined into at the base of the plants and smaller plants are being cut off.   In most of the cases, the culprit is black cutworm.  Though it is odd […]

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Moist Soils Brings Forth Different Kinds of Pests

Gaps in the stand are starting to show this week.  Aside from the typical culprits, moist soils can promote the less often accused. Millipedes are typically a beneficial arthropod that breaks down crop debris and decaying plant material.  However, in the last few years, we’ve been seeing more direct feeding by them.  What is happening?  […]

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