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As the 2025 crop season begins, farmers across the prairies are already on high alert for potential insect damage. Dr. Meghan Vankosky, a research scientist in field crop entomology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provides insights into what farmers might expect this year based on last year's conditions and winter observations.
"Towards the end of last summer, conditions were very favorable for grasshoppers across large parts of the prairies," says Dr. Vankosky. "2024 started off slow for grasshoppers, but they weren't as widespread as anticipated. However, the numbers were still high in some areas, and conditions were excellent for egg laying well into the fall."
Farmers are advised to be vigilant and scout their fields early and often, especially closer to the US border. She notes we also saw higher densities of grasshoppers last year in Central Alberta, west of Edmonton.
In addition to grasshoppers, Vankosky says cutworms are another concern. "We've heard reports of damaging cutworm populations in southern Alberta fields. The Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation team has posted helpful information online about early-season cutworm damage. While we haven't heard similar reports from Saskatchewan, cutworms can become active early and catch farmers off guard."
Flea beetles are another insect to watch for, especially as canola starts emerging. According to Vankosky, flea beetles are almost always a problem early in the season, noting she's already seen striped flea beetles at Saskatoon.
"If you notice patches where plants were growing nicely but are now missing, dig around the plant bases and shallow soil surface to check for cutworm larvae," advises Vankosky.
In Manitoba, grasshoppers and cutworms are expected to be issues as well. Vankosky recommends watching for John Gavloski's insect updates from Manitoba Agriculture. They provide comprehensive updates on weeds, plant pathogens, and insects.
Farmers should also be aware of the potential threat of wheat stem sawfly, particularly in the southern and western portions of Saskatchewan and southern Alberta. She says surveys in Saskatchewan over the past two years have shown surprising levels of wheat stem sawfly damage further north and east than expected. The sawfly thrives in warm, dry conditions, which were prevalent last summer. The adults tend to emerge in June and can usually be found in wheat fields until mid-July.
As the season progresses, farmers are encouraged to stay informed and proactive in monitoring and managing insect threats to protect their crops by signing up for the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network (PPMN) weekly advisories.
More information on the PPMN can be found here.