Alfalfa Weevil and Armyworm
Thursday, May 21st, 2009Alfalfa Weevil - We are starting to see a lot more alfalfa weevil larvae in the fields we are scouting. Many fields in southwestern Ontario are ready or close to being ready to be cut. I know you are busy trying to get everything planted finally, but I encourage guys to get out and cut the hay (if field is ready) to reduce the risk of injury from alfalfa weevil larvae. If fields are not fit or ready to cut, you’ll need to scout and determine if the larvae are reaching threshold. Again, cutting is the first choice for management if possible, if it is not, then spray at threshold.
Armyworm - It was around this time last year we started to see armyworm larvae appear in the fields. We did catch a few moths in April and with all of the storm fronts that continued to come our way, there could have been more blown into Ontario. Scout both the borders and randomly within wheat fields. And soon to emerge corn fields are at risk too. There were so many fields with weeds that didn’t get sprayed until now that were ideal for the moths to lay their eggs on. Larvae could have survived on those weeds until the crop pops up out of the ground. And they will be bigger (and harder to kill) when they do move over to the crop.
Let me know if you find any so we can get the word out!