Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s like a scene out of the movie “Jaws.” The intrepid scientist reaches his hand into the gut of a shark and pulls out what it had for dinner — a different fish or maybe, in the case of sharks, a tin can. He knows, just by examining those contents, what this predator likes to […] Read more
Next-gen DNA sequencing aims to find the best beneficial bugs
U of A researchers using advanced tech to find what’s on the menu of your insect allies
Business is hopping for Ontario cricket farms
Two Ontario enterprises that raise crickets and turn them into protein powder are expanding
Reading Time: < 1 minute Turns out Canada is a happening place for cricket farming. Two Ontario companies that raise crickets for food announced new funding last month for their expansion plans. Entomo Farms, one of North America’s leading cricket producers, announced it closed a round of fundraising totalling $3.7 million to support growth and expansion. Founded in 2014 by […] Read more
Here’s what pests might be waiting for you in your fields
Bertha army worms get the biggest red flag in three new pest monitoring reports
Reading Time: 3 minutes There could be a bertha army worm outbreak in parts of the province this year, but cabbage seedpod weevil survey numbers are down, and, save in the south, grasshoppers aren’t a big worry, according to new provincial pest forecasts. Bertha army worm Keep watch is the take-away from last year’s survey, which consisted of 350 […] Read more
Weevil and plot trial lessons from the past year
Results from the 2020 pea leaf weevil survey and the Plot2Farm trials are now available
Reading Time: 2 minutes Producers in the area around Edmonton as well as in southern Alberta may be at greater risk of seeing pea leaf weevils this spring. In a recent blog post on the Alberta Pulse Growers website, provincial insect survey technologist Shelley Barkley provided a summary of the annual survey for the pest. The survey, taken in […] Read more
ADM, InnovaFeed to build world’s biggest insect protein plant in Illinois
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain trader and processor Archer Daniels Midland and French biotech company InnovaFeed announced plans on Thursday to build the world’s largest insect protein plant at Decatur, Illinois. The announcement comes amid rising global feed grain prices and tightening supplies, and as more companies work toward reducing the carbon footprint of […] Read more
New user-friendly website for Prairie pest network
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Prairie Pest Monitoring Network has a new user-friendly website. The website, prairiepest.ca, has the features that were part of its long-running blog, such as risk maps, insect monitoring protocols, weekly updates, and insect of the week features. “The new site expands the functionality of the previous PPMN blog,” said network co-chair Jennifer Otani, a […] Read more
Resistant insect populations growing in southern Alberta
Insecticide-resistant alfalfa weevils are cropping up in alfalfa seed-growing regions, and beneficial bugs may be the answer
Reading Time: 3 minutes Insecticide-resistant insects have flown under the radar on the Canadian Prairies — but researchers are keeping an eye on a growing population of them in southern Alberta. “We don’t have very many insects that are resistant to insecticides here on the Prairies, so luckily, it’s not that widespread of an issue,” said Boyd Mori, researcher […] Read more
A mix of pests and diseases on the roster for #crop2020
Wheat midge, wheat stem sawfly, net blotch and other things to look out for
Reading Time: 4 minutes There are several diseases and pests farmers might want to keep an eye out for this growing season. “It’s kind of a hodgepodge this year,” said Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research extension specialist with Alberta Barley and Alberta Wheat. The southern part of the province has had consistent issues with grasshoppers because it has been so […] 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
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
Crop pest survey tools up and running
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network has “live feed maps” up and running for the province. The maps show results from traps around the province set up and overseen by co-operator farmers. As co-operators post results from the traps, they are posted immediately to the map. The five insects covered by these maps are bertha […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
