Hot, dry weather means more grasshoppers feasting on Sask. crops
James Tansey is standing just outside adjacent hay and mustard fields near Craven when the grasshopper he's holding jumps out of his hands before he can present it during a Zoom call.
"Grasshoppers and insects in general, I just find the broad group of insects to be really exciting. I have since I was very young," says the provincial entomologist.
The mustard field has seen some damage from the critters, not to mention dry conditions and hail damage. The hay field also has grasshoppers, to the tune of six to eight per square meter - close to the point of needing to be controlled.
Grasshopper numbers are high across Saskatchewan this year, according to reports from growers, agronomists and industry representatives, he said. When they find food they like, they eat a crop's marketable flowers and seeds.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, it has been shown in Alberta that even a moderate infestation of 10 grasshoppers per square metre can consume 16 - 60 per cent of available forage.
"We do fairly detailed surveying in the fall of every year and we're about to start this to get a real assessment of the populations, but we're getting lots of reports of spraying, we're getting lots of reports of damage to the point where some of the control products are actually selling out and difficult to get a hold of," Tansey said.
Females lay up to 350 eggs in the soil in the fall. Those grasshoppers-to-be can drown or fall victim to bacterial infections more often in cool, wet conditions. In hot and dry years like this one, they can speed through the development process, he said.
Modeling from the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network shows that grasshoppers were expected to start laying eggs in mid July; they would typically start in early August.
Grasshoppers don't damage all crops equally - it depends on how concentrated they are, and if that particular plant appeals to that particular grasshopper species. Tansey said producers should use economic thresholds of about 10-12 bugs per square metre before spraying, though that changes based on the species in question, the type of crop, its staging and current damage.
"If you're a lentil grower, you've got large numbers of clearwinged which I have seen in the past, you can have lots of grasshoppers without the accumulation of damage. So be aware of that, what kind of species you have, look for the accumulation of damage and that should be your trigger for action."
He said there isn't hard data to show that controlling grasshoppers will affect next year's population - and given how far grasshoppers can fly, it's likely minimal. Next year's weather will be more important.
"They're pretty much dictated by climate. Each of these girls has a potential put about 350 eggs into the ground and contribute greatly to next year's populations, but if it's cool and wet we'll probably see a reduction in grasshopper numbers relative to what we're seeing.
"If it's hot and dry again next year, then the increase is going to continue. And I do have some concerns and many do have some concerns with continued, dry conditions and grasshopper populations."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.