Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’ve seen large numbers of beetles this spring, researcher Kevin Floate would like to hear from you. One such report has been received from a location north of Edmonton, and more are likely. This outbreak is similar to one in 2010 when large numbers of ground beetles were reported in several locations in the […] Read more
Last year’s lousy weather had one beneficial side-effect
Conditions were good for ground beetles, a beneficial insect that is a friend to farmers
They don’t wear capes, but beneficial bugs are superheroes
New campaign urges farmers to give a little more love to the good bugs that kill bad ones
Reading Time: 3 minutes They’re in your field, lurking there, doing their thing. But do you know who they are? Can you identify your beneficial insects? That’s the goal behind the Western Grains Research Foundation’s Field Heroes campaign. “It’s basically a social media campaign to increase the profile of the beneficial insects that are in your field crops,” said […] Read more
Pea leaf weevils: The danger comes from below
Adults chomping on leaves aren’t the problem with these pests — it’s their offspring feeding on root nodules
Reading Time: 3 minutes Pea leaf weevils are on the move and are now being reported in crops as far north as Edmonton. The pest first appeared in Alberta in 2000 and they have become a huge threat to fababean and field pea growers in the province. Originally nesting in the south, they have migrated and are now appearing […] Read moreElm pruning ban in effect until October
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Society to Prevent Dutch Elm Disease (STOPDED) is reminding Albertans the provincial elm pruning ban remains in effect until Sept. 30. Under the Alberta Agricultural Pests Act, it is illegal to prune elm trees during this time or store elm wood. Stored elm wood can harbour the elm bark beetles that can carry DED […] Read more
Funding to replace trees killed by pine beetles
Reading Time: < 1 minute Tree Canada is extending its Operation ReLeaf initiative by providing more than $200,000 in new funding to help replace trees damaged or destroyed by invasive insects. The Alberta Mountain Pine Beetle ReLeaf program, launched in 2010, provides funding to homeowners, private landowners, and municipalities for the replacement of trees affected by the mountain pine beetle. […] Read more
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