WOODLANDS COUNTY – At the Jan.14 Woodlands County Agriculture Services Board Meeting Dawn Fortin, Manager of Agriculture Services reviewed the highlights of Alberta Agriculture 2024 Insect Survey results.
The report was received from Shelley Barkley from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation on samplings done from June 16 to July 27, 2024.
“All of the insects they were sampling were found very low numbers,” stated Fortin.
She explained that there might be a bit of a concern regarding the wheat midge mainly because that's weather dependent.
If there are wet conditions in the spring this could lead to higher numbers in the wheat midge populations.
It will be important to monitor the wheat from boot crack to the end of anthesis if there is rain in May and June.
Wheat midge can spend years in the soil waiting for the right conditions before they complete their life cycle.
Bertha Armyworm was detected in two Woodlands County sites in very low numbers as stated in the report.
This species is very cyclical in their populations with developing through four stages and complete a generation each year.
A good monitoring system using pheromone traps can catch outbreaks and reduce potential crop damage according to the report.
The moth numbers collected can provide a three to four week lead time in managing the effects of the Bertha Armyworm.
Their numbers are normally kept in check by weather and natural enemies including wasps, flies, birds and viruses.
Crop rotation can also help in keeping the Bertha Armyworm numbers down.
Some of the other insects they found were Lygus and the Diamondback Moth reported Fortin.
Both species were well below the threshold numbers within the report.
Trapping will be important to continue monitoring the levels to watch for possible increases in populations.
Barkley stated in her report that results were consistent with the last two years' results, which is good news for producers.
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