Author: Jen Bruggeman, Research Assistant, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus Western Bean Cutworm traps have been up in Ontario for approximately 5 weeks, with nil to low catches being reported until now. Just this week we have started to see an increase in moth captures, due to our resident population starting to emerge from the […]
First flower open on soybeans means that they have reached the R1 stage. From this stage until the start of R6, where the pods on the top few nodes of the plant are filled with a swollen seed, soybean aphid thresholds kick in. A few fields were colonized earlier this spring but for the most […]
Two pests that are starting to appear in Ontario fields include cereal leaf beetle and alfalfa weevil. Cereal leaf beetle: Both adults and larvae can cause damage by chewing long strips of tissue between the leaf veins, though most of the damage is done by the larvae in June. The larvae look somewhat like slugs […]
Some US states to our south have been reporting high numbers of black cutworm moths in their pheromone traps and are starting to see some black cutworm injury in newly emerging corn fields. These moths are carried into Ontario via storm fronts. Once they arrive the adult moths look for weedy patches in fields to […]
Those planting neonicotinoid treated corn or soybean seed with a vacuum planter that requires a seed flow lubricant MUST use Fluency Agent. Talc or graphite are not permitted. Exceptions include: 1. planters that don’t need seed flow lubricant (i.e. you don’t have to start using fluency agent if you didn’t use graphite or talc in […]
There is clearly a renewed interest in trapping for Western bean cutworm (WBC) in 2015. This is understandable, given that WBC caught us off guard in 2014 with ear damage being reported across much of Ontario, beyond our typical hot spot areas. Sign up to the Ontario WBC Trap Network: We will be mapping trap […]
Let’s start on a positive note. We did not find any brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) during our corn or soybean field survey this year. Though the eager summer students are always disappointed that they come back each year with nothing to show for their training and scouting efforts, I am always relieved. The not-so-great […]
Many Ontario Fields Don’t Need Neonicotinoid Treated Seeds Assess Your Risk for Early Season Insect Damage Fill out the Pest Evaluation Checklist for Corn or Soybean for your farm at ontario.ca/bx1n Use this Pest Evaluation Checklist to target the use of insecticide seed treatments on corn and soybean seed for fields with identified risks. […]
Author: Jocelyn Smith, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus “Check your fields for WBC and ear rots now and consider harvesting early to stop mould growth. Adjust your combine to discard lightweight mouldy kernels and dry mouldy corn as soon as possible.” If you had trouble finding Western bean cutworm (WBC) egg masses when scouting back […]
Either our own resident WBC populations did fine over the winter or the recent storm fronts brought in the bunch of moths from the US or a combination of the two. But reports are coming in that fields between Thamesville and Bothwell and near Rodney have reached threshold, well, sort of. What is messing up […]
Authors: Jocelyn Smith and Andrea Hitchon, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus The time to start scouting corn for corn rootworm has arrived! There are a few important objectives for scouting for rootworm injury including: scouting can help protect yield, plan control measures for next year, and detect potential cases of resistance to Bt traits. The […]
We are starting our 2014 field survey for the new invasive insect pest, brown marmorated stink bug. In particular, we are looking for corn and soybean fields that meet the criteria below. We will scout for the pest within the first 30 rows of field (where we expect to first find the insect), as well […]
Author: Jocelyn Smith, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus Growers in the high WBC risk areas (sandy soils) saw heavy infestations of WBC in 2013 and many were surprised by the survival and amount of damage by WBC on Bt corn. Bt corn hybrids that express the Cry 1F insecticidal protein such as the Herculex® and […]
Low levels of armyworm, cereal leaf beetles and grass sawflies have been spotted in various wheat fields over the last week. Scout to make sure these don’t get out of hand. With any of these, protecting the flag leaf is most important. Armyworm and grass sawflies clip the wheat head off too. Armyworm feed at […]
When springs are cool and wet, it results in two things. 1) Difficulty with getting good weed control in before planting and 2) Pushing planting into cooler soils that may cause the seed to sit for a while. Both of these can increase the risk for early season pest issues. Here are some of the […]