It hasn’t been since 2002 that we have experienced this low of levels of soybean aphids. Cross my fingers and knock on wood but I think we are going to get through the season without a problem. That said, spidermites are starting to pop up in fields, particularly where it is starting to get a […]
Based on scouting observations and trap counts so far, it looks like we have finally passed the peak for western bean cutworm moth activity. Egg masses are difficult to find now in corn which tells us that the moths are no longer interested in laying eggs in that crop…unless of course there is an extremely […]
Jim Barclay at Hensall District Co-operative Inc. reported that an early planted otebo bean field in Tavistock has been found with WBC pod feeding injury and will be sprayed. This is a reminder to growers with early planted dry beans to get out and scout either neighbouring pre-tassel corn fields for egg masses and if […]
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We have found a few corn fields in the Bothwell and Strathroy area that have had above threshold numbers of WBC eggs. I strongly recommend that late planted corn fields that are not in full tassel yet be scouted this week and next. Given that we are at or close to peak moth flight, that […]
I realize that I am bombarding you guys with WBC blog entries but we are entering a critical time for scouting and WBC management. I don’t want to find out that you couldn’t find all of the information you needed to effectively monitor and determine if you needed to control this pest. Here are some […]
We are nearing or at peak flight for WBC. This is nearly 3 weeks ahead of last year. Much of the corn crop is starting to be less attractive for them. Late planted fields not in tassel yet will still be their target but if those are not available, then they will move on to […]
I have heard of grower who is going to spray his corn next week because there have been a lot of WBC moths flying around. This is not an acceptable practice. Trap counts do not necessarily reflect what is going on in the field. It simply tells us when to expect peak egg laying. Scouting […]
I was starting to doubt my abilities to properly scout for WBC eggs, given my height. I walked a lot of fields last year with zero success. I was really good at finding larvae in the fall though so clearly there were eggs to be found earlier that year. You start to feel somewhat […]
What Moths Prefer– Moths prefer laying their eggs in corn before it tassels. After the crop is in tassel, it will prefer neighbouring fields that are less advanced in crop stage OR they move to dry beans and other host crops (like snap beans, sweet corn etc). Pick the tallest and healthiest looking fields that […]
Lots more WBC moths have been captured in Ontario in the last couple of weeks. We have been having some technical difficulties with our online trapping system and some participants are still not entering their trap data or site information. But from the data that we have been able to collect, I can say […]
With this kind of heat AND wheat harvest just around the corner, we should keep an eye out for spidermite activity in both seed corn and soybeans. I put together a pretty detailed article last year in the CropPest Ontario Newsletter. Visit it to familiarize yourself with what signs to look for. It is very […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
