A network of pheromone-baited traps are monitored across the Canadian prairie provinces in June and July to determine levels of bertha armyworm adult moths, and forecast risk of there potentially being economic levels of larvae somewhere in the region.
The purpose of this monitoring program is to determine the regional risk of an outbreak in advance of the appearance of the damaging (larval) stage. Adult bertha armyworm (moths) are monitored using pheromone-baited traps that attract male moths. The number of adults collected by these traps provides an indication of the risk of larval damage, however, in-field monitoring for the damaging (larval) stages of this pest is required in order to accurately apply the economic threshold. At no time should a decision to use insecticides to control bertha armyworm be made based only on information from the pheromone traps used for this insect.
