Tracey Baute May 10, 2019 2616 Comments Off on European Corn Borer Trapping Instructions and ResourcesEuropean corn borer (ECB) is one of the pest included in the Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network. Those interested in monitoring for ECB in field and sweet corn in the region are welcome to submit their trap data each week to the network to populate the real time interactive maps and see graphs summarizing their trap catches. Each…
It was recently confirmed that European corn borer (ECB) has developed resistance to the Cry1F protein in Bt corn in Nova Scotia. More information on this issue can be found here: Canadian Corn Pest Coalition Mitigation Recommendations for European Corn Borer Resistance to Bt Corn (Cry1F) in the Maritimes. Thanks goes to Dr. Jocelyn Smith and Dr. Art Schaafsma at…
Tracey Baute May 9, 2019 1600 Comments Off on Switching Hybrids and Class 12 Pesticides (Neonic Treated Corn and Soy Seed)The planting season (or lack thereof) has been a challenging one. Though as mentioned in this week’s crop report, with the exception of very long season hybrids, it is still too early in the planting window to be thinking of switching hybrids. That said, in situations when you do need to switch, what happens if the hybrid you want to…
Tracey Baute May 3, 2019 1406 Comments Off on Bt Corn Products/Traits Available in Canada – As of May 2019The Bt Corn Products/Traits Tables have been updated for 2019 and are provided in the links below: English: Bt Corn Products/Traits Available in Canada – As of May 21 2019 French: Maïs/Caractères Bt disponibles au Canada – En date de mai 21 2019
Tracey Baute October 4, 2018 4835 Comments Off on Corn Earworm Presence Higher Than Expected – Check Your FieldsRecent scouting efforts and grower calls indicate that corn earworm (CEW) are present in Ontario corn fields this fall, some at pretty high levels (Figure 1). Late planted fields are the most at risk, as CEW moths typically don’t blow in from the US until later in the summer and prefer to lay their eggs directly on the fresh silks….
Tracey Baute July 27, 2018 4402 Comments Off on Western Bean Cutworm Lower Than Previous Years – Scouting is Really Paying OffIf ever there was a year to get out and scout before making a management decision, it is this year. Western bean cutworm trap catches have been much lower than previous years (Figure 1). Yes, many saw significant increase this past week, but they are still not at levels we would normally see during this time period. Based on the…
This is a year of Stranger Things. Some insect pests that are expected in these conditions haven’t shown up yet while others are much more ahead of schedule, thanks to the hot days that are resulting in significant growing degree day accumulation. Tarnished plant bug is already being found in dry beans, even though the crop is just in early…
Tracey Baute July 16, 2018 3954 Comments Off on Western Bean Cutworm Trap Catches So Far and Crop Staging and Spray TimingWestern bean cutworm trap counts this year have been very low so far. Although I would normally expect at least the far southwest to be reaching peak moth flight later this week, the traps are not indicating that yet. It might happen but there are not nearly the same number of moths flying around at this time compared to previous…
Red-headed flea beetles are enjoying a bit of feeding time in soybeans and corn this week. In corn, their feeding is most prevalent in the field border rows, though can scattered throughout the field too. The beetle strips away the leaf tissue causing window-paning, very similar to adult corn rootworm leaf feeding. This feeding is simply superficial and does not…
Tracey Baute July 3, 2018 3274 Comments Off on Hot Dry Weather Increasing Risk of Spider Mites, Thrips and AphidsWhile many fields have received rain over the last week, some areas are starting to show signs of stress from lack of moisture. A few pests take advantage of this situation. Thrips in Corn and Soybeans: A number of corn fields have had high levels of thrips. Rarely are they worthy of control, except in situations where the crop is…
Tracey Baute June 28, 2018 2308 Comments Off on Find Soybean Aphids? Download the New Aphid Advisor V2.0 for Help with Spray DecisionsSome fields are starting to see soybean aphids colonize in the last few weeks. This is their typical behaviour and of no concern until soybeans reach the R stages, specifically R1 to R5. Plants need to have at least 250 aphids per plant across 80% of the field and see that population increasing over time before a spray is warranted. …
Tracey Baute June 27, 2018 2443 Comments Off on Watch for Armyworm in Spring Cereals and Mixed ForagesArmyworm has been spotted at low levels in a few winter wheat fields, though being so close to harvest, it is really not a concern in that crop. However, it does indicate a need to keep an eye out for them in spring cereals, as well as mixed forages (as they like to feed on grasses). True armyworm larvae can…
Tracey Baute June 1, 2018 1952 Comments Off on Bean Leaf Beetle Showing up in Essex and Chatham KentBean leaf beetles (BLB) are showing up in early planted soybeans that were treated with only fungicide seed treatment. As the result of area wide use of insecticide seed treatments, this pest had much of a presence over the last decade. Thankfully, rescue treatments are still possible if threshold has been reached. BLB have a great predator response. They quickly…
Tracey Baute May 30, 2018 2244 Comments Off on Make Alfalfa Weevil and Cereal Leaf Beetle Scouting a PriorityFirst cut took place on most of the forage acres in southern Ontario. Though this is an effective way to manage alfalfa weevil, this year the larvae were quite small at the time of cutting. I’m concerned that the larvae still present will finally be entering the most damaging stages of third and fourth instars during the early stages of…
The WBC trapping season is about to begin. For those anxious to put up WBC traps this year, the WBC Trap Network is almost ready for you to set up your sites at: https://www.cornpest.ca/wbc-trap-network/ An email to past trap participants will be going out early next week. For those who have not entered trap sites before but are interested doing…