Insect update

Flea beetles: With cool temperatures, flea beetles have moved down to the stems and undersides of leaves to feed. Thresholds for stem feeding are lower than thresholds for leaf feeding, so make sure to scout the whole plant. A plant cut off represents 100% leaf area loss for that plant. Click here for more on thresholds and how to assess damage.

Cutworms: Cutworm damage is evident in spots across the Prairies. Damage does not seem to be significant at this stage but can vary from field to field and even within fields. Start scouting. Entomologists are trying to learn more about cutworms across the Prairies. You can send cutworms in for identification. Here are the cutworm sampling protocols: 2011_Cutworm Protocol_May31b

Grasshoppers: Some fields in the western Peace region were seeing higher than usual grasshopper numbers for this time of year, but cool wet conditions the past week seem to have set them back. Keep an eye out when conditions improve.

Click here for a video update from Scott Meers, entomologist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

Click here and here for scouting tips.

The latest Prairie Pest Monitoring Network weekly report:2011May25-Jun03_WeeklyUpdate