Farmers are busy spraying and scouting fields for insect and weed concerns.
The Prairie Pest Monitoring Network newsletter helps to keep farmers up to date on potential insect concerns
Dr. Megan Vankosky is a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-food Canada and co-editor of the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network's newsletter.
"We've had a huge diversity of weather conditions across the prairies this spring, some areas have been really warm and dry, others warm and wet. Each of those areas could have different insect pest pressures as a result. So definitely get out and scout and see what's going on for insects in your field. Our predictions and our regional maps are great tools, but there's nothing as good as scouting in your own field to know what's happening for insects."
She says prairie-wide grasshoppers are potentially a problem, the hardest-hit area right now is in Saskatchewan.
"We're seeing some ditches in the southwest of Saskatchewan and we're already seeing the occasional fourth instar grasshopper nymph. Which we normally wouldn't be seeing at this time of year, for a few more weeks actually. We do see a whole range of Grasshopper ages and stages in the field."
It's important that farmers monitor their fields and look at the economic thresholds for grasshoppers in their crops.
Another insect to watch for is the pea leaf weevil as damage reports are starting to come in.
Vankosky adds that if you're in an area where you're growing wheat and you've had lots of rain this spring then you're very lucky, but you could also have some issues with wheat midge later on in the growing season.
Farmers can check the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network here to subscribe to the weekly newsletter for more information.
To hear Glenda-Lee's conversation with Dr Megan Vankosky click on the link below.