1 Jun

Armyworm Spotted in Essex County

Category: Uncategorized

The first report of spraying for armyworm in sweet corn in Essex County came in today. We are not sure how heavy of infestation to expect in other fields but wheat and newly emerging corn fields should be scouted in Essex, Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Elgin and Middlesex counties asap.  Armyworm reports from Essex tend to give us a few days heads-up to catch any infestations in the neighbouring counties.  But other counties in southwestern Ontario should be scouted in the next 7 days to 10 days to determine if armyworm is present there.

A CropPest Newsletter article will go out later this week with details on scouting and management strategies. You can also find information in the Agronomy Guide for Field Crops and past CropPest articles (links provided below)

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/3taw.htm

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/croppest/2008/05cpo08.htm

Posted Monday, June 1st, 2009 at 9:57 am
Filed Under Category: Uncategorized
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Responses to “Armyworm Spotted in Essex County”

Susan Hermann
June 9th, 2009 at 11:11 am

I thought I had army worms on my pine trees, but these guys are dark grey/green with shiny black head. They do have a full dorsal stripe in light grey and side stripes in darker grey. When disturbed they rear up to show six black front legs while the rest of the legs are light green or greyish suction pads. They team up two to a needle and consume. You can find them in a mass of maybe 30 at a time. I know it’s not crop but we are farmers and would like to know what we’ve got.

admin
June 9th, 2009 at 3:52 pm

Hi Susan

That could be European Pine Sawfly. See if the larvae in this picture is similar to what you are seeing:

http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/insects/eps/eps.htm

Susan Hermann
June 19th, 2009 at 10:05 am

Thanks Tracey, that is exactly what they are.

Mark Graham
June 24th, 2009 at 11:18 pm

Hi Tracey,
I came across a patch of wheat that had a percentage of dried up heads in the mix(10-20%). Upon further investigation the whole stalk had been completely clipped at or just above ground level. The patch wasn’t overly large and was probably 40 ft off the field edge. There was minimal evidence of leaf feeding. It was dusk and I wasn’t carrying my flashlight so as to get a better look. What do you suppose caused this? The field is located at the corner of Kent Line and Mawlam.
Thanks,
Mark

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