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 […]
Just wrote an article and completed the map of the distribution of western bean cutworm in the Great Lakes Region. Check it out in the latest CropPest Newsletter at: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/croppest/2009/18cpo09a3.htm . […]
More reports of WBC damage are coming in. Here is an updated list of sites with damage and or larvae found in Ontario: Chatham- Kent (Dover Centre, Bothwell) Lambton (Petrolia) Middlesex (Wardsville, Appin, Glencoe) Elgin (Rodney) Huron (Blyth, Clinton, Exeter, Dashwood, Holmesville, Belgrave) Bruce (Walkerton, Kincardine) Simcoe (Alliston, Barrie, Stayner) Durham (Kinsale, Lindsay, Brooklin) Victoria […]
Sorry…It’s been a few weeks since my last blog but I finally went on holidays. I’m back and want to give you an update. While away, more reports were coming in of western bean cutworm damage being found in Ontario. Others are asking how to scout for the damage this fall so that they can determine if […]
We visited the Newbury WBC site last week and it was concerning to see so many plants infested with WBC larvae. There were no external entry holes from the outside of the ear which could fool those who think the ears are clean. Pay extra attention to those ears that are slightly opened at the ear tip (husk […]
My summer students are going to be frustrated when they find this out, especially with all of the scouting they have done looking for WBC egg masses and larvae and finding nothing to show for it. But today Adam Pfeffer of Monsanto brought in the first WBC larvae found here in Ontario. The larvae was from […]
Some counties in Michigan have been given the recommendation to spray their dry beans due to the high moth counts and observations of pod feeding at some locations. Montcalm County (central Michigan) in particular is at the highest risk with some trap sites capturing over 400-500 moths in the last few weeks. Isabella, Gratiot and Mecosta counties are also considered […]
SPIDERMITES: I have a sneaking suspicion that spidermites are making their way into those fields that haven’t had rain in a while. We have had situations in the past where not only have they popped up in soybeans and were being disregarded as “drought stress” symptoms but also in seed corn, especially around or just after […]
First off, I apologize for not updating the blog for the last little while. I’ve been busy with setting up the SouthWest Diagnostic Days and just ran out of time. But let me catch you up on a few things that have taken place but I am also hoping that others who have been out […]
The first report of spraying for armyworm in sweet corn in Essex County came in today. We are not sure how heavy of infestation to expect in other fields but wheat and newly emerging corn fields should be scouted in Essex, Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Elgin and Middlesex counties asap. Armyworm reports from Essex tend to give […]
Thanks for the Heads-up Bob Buis! Bob reports that he has seen a field with 5% of the plants cut by cutworm in the Lighthouse Cove (Tilbury) area. Cutting indicates that the cutworm larvae are bigger and more mature and may be difficult to control. Now that corn fields are emerging, they need to be scouted every […]
Alfalfa Weevil – We are starting to see a lot more alfalfa weevil larvae in the fields we are scouting. Many fields in southwestern Ontario are ready or close to being ready to be cut. I know you are busy trying to get everything planted finally, but I encourage guys to get out and cut the hay (if field is […]