Pea leaf weevil. (Alberta Agriculture photo)

Insects posing problems in Saskatchewan crops

Grasshopper, flea beetle damage already reported

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm – Although it’s still early in the growing season, some insect pests have already posed a threat to crops in Saskatchewan or could do so in the near future, according to James Tansey, provincial specialist for insects/invertebrate pest management. Among the pests he cited were grasshoppers, flea beetles and pea leaf weevils.  Tansey said […] Read more

Flea beetle. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Best to be scouting for insect pests

'Definitely' watch canola for flea beetles

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Although it is still relatively early in the crop year, Manitoba entomologist John Gavloski strongly advises farmers to carefully watch their fields for any signs of insect pests. Gavloski couldn’t say for sure if insect damage was going to be bad this year but based on what’s transpired over the last three years, […] Read more


A grasshopper in a canola field near Starbuck, Man. in the summer of 2019. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Adama’s lambda-cy products to be available this year

Company to continue selling Silencer, Zivata after recall

Reading Time: 3 minutes The Canadian arm of ag chem firm Adama says it’s relabelled its inventories of lambda-cyhalothrin insecticide products Silencer and Zivata and will have them available for sale to farmers in 2023. The company had said last November it wasn’t yet sure those products would be available this year under an approaching deadline following a 2021 […] Read more

Flea beetles in canola seedlings. (Canola Council of Canada video screengrab via YouTube)

Eastern Prairies’ wet conditions may curb insect pest risk

Late-seeded crops may germinate more quickly in warmer soils

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — If there could be one benefit to the excessive moisture across much of southern Manitoba and the Interlake region, that would be a potentially reduced risk for insect pests, according to John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Resource Development. For example, Gavloski cited flea beetles, which could damage canola. “If [canola] […] Read more


Flea beetles prefer environments that are exposed to bright sunlight and are relatively warm, so seeding into standing stubble may help slow their movement in the field.

Hopper and beetle watch

Will last year’s outbreak repeat in 2022? Weather will be a factor, but one way or another, scouting is vital

Reading Time: 5 minutes Last year’s heat and drought didn’t do much for crops, but it certainly seemed to agree with grasshoppers and flea beetles. Does last season’s invasion mean there will be another for 2021? Jennifer Otani, a pest management scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in the Peace River region, says there were reports of high numbers […] Read more

Cutworms. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Prairie growers on lookout as insects seize opportunity

Dry conditions, delayed seeding lift pest counts

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — With most Prairie growers’ newly seeded crops already up against dry conditions, growers remain on the lookout for insects which further threaten the health of those seedlings. Considering the high prices of many crops this season, the potential damage would be more costly. John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture, said there is a […] Read more


A grasshopper in a canola field near Starbuck, Man. in the summer of 2019. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Spring weather to determine Prairies’ crop pest load

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — How problematic insects fare across the Prairies in 2020 depends largely on the weather this spring, according to three provincial insect specialists. Be the insects grasshoppers, flea beetles, cutworms, or a few other types, their potential to cause significant damage to Prairie crops will partly depend on how dry and warm this coming […] Read more

Flea beetle. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Flea beetles top Manitoba’s 2019 watch list

Reading Time: 2 minutes Cold temperatures hitting Manitoba won’t do much to hurt flea beetles overwintering, leaving the pest as a major concern for canola farmers heading into spring. Flea beetle numbers were quite high in Manitoba in 2018, making them “probably at the top of the list of (insects) to watch out for this year,” said John Gavloski, […] Read more


Flea beetle. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Flea beetles take advantage of late seeding

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — A heat wave in late May and a slow start to the planting season have created some ideal conditions for flea beetles. Pest specialists in Saskatchewan and Manitoba say farmers have already begun to spray for the beetle in certain locations. “They’ve been getting good conditions to feed under, they like it […] Read more

Fababeans. (TamayoProduce.com)

Ergot tolerances set for chickpeas, fababeans

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chickpeas and fababean crops graded in Canada will have a new maximum tolerance for ergot next year, even though the cereal disease doesn’t occur in either crop. The Canadian Grain Commission on Wednesday announced an ergot tolerance of 0.05 per cent for all grades of fababeans and chickpeas in Western Canada effective Aug. 1, 2017, […] Read more