SARDA Ag Research News
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Insect Survey Results – 2021 Big Lakes County
ARDA Ag Research participates in the provincial insect surveys each year. In 2021, our pest monitoring took us to three municipalities; Big Lakes County (BLC), Northern Sunrise County (NSC), and the MD of Smoky River (SR). Our survey efforts and traps were strategically placed to get the best coverage of the major cropping areas within each municipality.
The bertha armyworm site in Big Lakes was above the first warning level of 300 moths. Trapping will continue to be important to watch for a possible buildup in the population. Once again we were seeing pea leaf weevil damage in the survey conducted in early June. No weevils were actually found, however, the level of notching was very low and this does not pose a risk at this time. There were no wheat midge found in the soil samples. Wheat midge could return in 2022 as a threat to wheat production as wet conditions and seeding delays will increase the risk of wheat midge. Overall the risk from wheat midge appears to be low for 2022.
We monitored 3 Bertha Army Worm Traps, and 3 Diamond Back Moth Traps. We surveyed 3 fields in BLC, 3 fields in NSC and 6 fields in SR for pea leaf weevil, the latest insect pest to make its way to the Peace Region. The pea leaf weevil survey involves looking closely at 50 plants in each field, listing the nodes affected and the number of notches per node. For the wheat midge monitoring, we collected 10 shallow soil samples from 4 fields in BLC, 3 fields in NSC and 4 fields in SR. These soil samples were sent to Shelley Barkley for processing. SARDA Ag Research would like to thank the producers who gave us access to their land to complete the surveys.
Bertha Armyworm (Baw)
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SARDA Ag Research had one trap location near High Prairie in Big Lakes County. Bertha armyworm is very cyclical. In order to catch outbreaks and help producers
