We have revised the Canadian Bt Corn Trait Tables to reflect the current potential cross resistance of corn rootworm in Ontario to all Bt-RW proteins. Here are the latest versions: English: Bt Corn Trait Table (October 2020) with Events and Resistance Status French: Tableau des caractères Bt (Octobre 2020-Français) – Évènements transgéniques et résistances For information on which hybrids or products have…
Western Bean Cutworm

Here is the latest update on where the trap catches are for western bean cutworm in the region based on trap site data entered into the Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network. Peak flight for Ontario and most other states and provinces on the network (except Michigan) occurred during Week 11 (Aug 3-9) (see Fig. 1). Trap catches are…

Before I talked about the WBC trap data, I want to thank everyone who set up a trap this year and are entering their data into the network. Despite COVID-19, there are more than 1000 WBC traps in the system! That is a record and helps us figure out what the flight patterns are. Now for the trap results. We…

For detailed instructions on how to upload your Western Bean Cutworm (WBC) trap counts to the Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network, please view this 5 minute video. The Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network Dashboard mentioned in the video can be found HERE. See also: 2020 Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network by Tracey Baute 2020 WBC…

It is still too early to predict what western bean cutworm (WBC) might do this year but to help prepare, we have updated the WBC infosheets for 2020. 2020 WBC Infosheet for Corn 2020 WBC Infosheet for Dry Beans WBC activity was delayed in 2019, in step with the delay in growing degree day (GDD) accumulation. Some regions caught up…

Cereals Winter wheat harvest progress is around 7-10 days ahead of last year. Given the relatively dry summer, early reports of yield have been average to below average although crop quality has been respectable. Post-harvest weed management A significant amount of annual weed seeds can be produced and dispersed after wheat harvest if the ground is left fallow. In some…
Western 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…
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…

Authored by: Dr. Art Schaafsma and Dr. Jocelyn Smith, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus and Tracey Baute, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs As the planting season begins, it is important to consider how best to manage western bean cutworm (WBC) damage this year and reduce the risk of resistance development. Western bean cutworm has become a serious…

I’m seeing a lot of pics on Twitter of recent WBC moth catches in traps, which I think is great. The more people that are trapping, the more data we have to work with to determine when peak flight takes place and when scouting is required. But trap counts do not indicate if a spray is required in corn. There…
Calling all WBC Trap Participants! The WBC Trap Network website is now up and running and ready for you to add your trap sites and join our trapping network. Anyone wishing to join must login and create a new user account at www.cornpest.ca. Click on the “Login” menu from the top left of the page (on a computer) or from…

Trap counts are still quite high this week in Ontario which indicates that peak flight hasn’t plateaued yet. So there is likely still lots of egg laying happening. Moths will prefer to lay eggs in later planted corn that is still in pre to early tassel stages or will find dry bean fields nearby. Just because a trap is catching…

A few tweets, text messages and reports from our scouts have indicated that WBC egg masses are being found in corn this week. The next two to three weeks are key for scouting and managing WBC for the bulk of the corn crop. Though the typical hot spots (eg. Bothwell area) are more prone to significant populations, last year taught…

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 soil and due to the…

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 in late July and early…