Wheat Pests are Still a Concern True armyworm (TAW) larvae are in many winter wheat and spring cereal fields across southern Ontario, thankfully not always at threshold. Some fields have populations at threshold (4-5 unparasitized larvae smaller than 2.5 cm per square foot) or above and with minimal feeding damage. Larvae sometimes choose not to […]
A number of reports have come in that cereal aphid populations are increasing. Scouting cereal fields is advised. Natural enemies are present in many fields so I recommend using the Cereal Aphid Manager app to help you decide if a spray is required based on your aphid and natural enemy populations. The cereal aphid threshold […]
It’s that kind of year. Expect the unexpected or at least don’t be surprised when something doesn’t follow the rules. It’s a wet year. That usually makes us more disease prone than insect prone. And entomopathogens (fungus that kills insects) usually kick in. But we are also dealing with very delayed planting with small plants […]
The weather is certainly warming up and it looks like the forecast is for more of the same. Things are getting busy and I’ve got a few things to talk about this week. The first is the start of the Western Bean Cutworm Trapping network. Traps should be set up this week and the data […]
Updated – May 27, 2020 There are several species of aphids that are grouped together as “cereal aphids”. The most common are bird cherry oat aphids (Figure 1) and corn leaf aphids (Figure 2), though English grain aphid and greenbugs can sometimes be found. The aphids would have been present since the fall and usually […]
It’s been quite a week and it’s only Tuesday. Many of you are calling about one of these pest issues so hopefully I can help answer all of your questions here. Grass Sawfly in Wheat: Once you start to see sawfly feeding (see previous blog for pics and details) the feeding damage is nearly done. […]