In his weekly Call of the Land radio interview, Alberta Agriculture pest specialist Scott Meers says there have been reports of grasshoppers in the central region and especially in the Peace River region, where they have been “quite extreme.” While spraying may be necessary in some cases, Meers warns against “spraying for next year,” which seldom pays.
“In fact, sometimes spraying will result in higher numbers in the next year because you take out all the natural enemies out of the picture,” Meers says.
Bertha armyworm trap numbers has dropped off, but “We will probably have less intense pressure… but we’re going to have to be watching for bertha armyworm over a larger area,” Meers says.
Some fields, but not every field, will need to be sprayed for berthas, Meers says.
