Tag: Field Heroes

Aphids in field crops

Aphid populations can quickly increase at this point in the season and particularly when growing conditions are warm and dry. This week, we share photos taken by B. DeSmet (Dirt Road Agronomy) with excellent examples of pea aphids in a field of peas (Fig. 1) and two general arthropod predators (Fig. 2) – some excellent photography!

**Figure 1**. Pea aphid adults and nymphs (each 2-3 mm long) feeding on field peas growing near Rycroft AB on July 11, 2025. **Photo**s: B. DeSmet (Dirt Road Agronomy).

**Figure 2**. Several species of general arthropod predators consume multiple species of aphids; the green syrphid larva (left) and ladybug adult (right) are voracious predators of pea aphids in this pea field growing near Rycroft AB on July 14, 2025. **Photo**s: B. DeSmet (Dirt Road Agronomy).

Biological and monitoring information (including tips for scouting and economic thresholds) related to aphids in field crops is posted by:
• Manitoba Agriculture (aphids on cereals, aphids on flax, soybean aphid, aphids on peas, faba beans, and lentils)
• Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (aphids in pulse crops or access the PDF copy)
• Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission
• Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (soybean aphids: identification, scouting and management or access the PDF copy)
• The Canola Council of Canada’s “Canola Encyclopedia” section on aphids
• or check your provincial commodity group’s insect pest webpages for more detailed information.

Additionally, several aphid pest species are described in the “Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada: Identification and management field guide” (2018) which is accessible as a free downloadable PDF in either English or French on our Field Guides page. PDF copies of the individual pages have been linked below to access quickly:
• Corn leaf aphid or Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch)
• English grain aphid or Sitobion (Macrosiphum) avenae (Fabricius)
• Oat-birdcherry aphid or Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus)
• Pea aphid or Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris)
• Potato aphid or Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas)
• Soybean aphid or Aphis glycines (Matsumura)
• Turnip aphid or Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach)
• Sugar beet root aphid or Pemphigus betae Doane
• Russian wheat aphid or Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko)

Over the years, both the Weekly Updates and Insect of the Week have included aphid-related information but also important natural enemy details to support in-field scouting. Review the list below so pest and beneficial insects can be distinguished readily when scouting fields:
• Aphidius wasp (Insect of the Week; 2015 Wk15)
• Aphids in canola (Insect of the Week; 2016 Wk13)
• Aphids in cereals (Insect of the Week; 2017 Wk09)
• Cereal aphid manager APP (Weekly Update; 2021 Wk07) presently available only for iOS
• Ladybird larva vs. lacewing larva (Insect of the Week; 2019 Wk18)
• Ladybird beetles and mummies (Weekly Update; 2020 Wk15)
• Lygus bug nymphs vs. aphids (Insect of the Week; 2019 Wk16)
• Hoverflies vs. bees vs. yellow jacket wasps (Insect of the Week; 2019 Wk19)
• Pea aphids: a persistent problem for legume growers (Insect of the Week; 2021 Wk12)
• Soybean aphids and aphid annihilating allies (Insect of the Week; 2022 Wk07)
• Syrphid flies (Insect of the Week; 2015 Wk16)

Access PPMN-approved Field Guides

Prepare for 2025’s field scouting season by reviewing or downloading the FREE Field Guides available on PPMN’s Field Guide webpage!

In addition to being free, the downloadable PDF versions of these guides are searchable. All include descriptions of insect biology, helpful diagnostic photos, plus tips related to when and how to scout for important economic pests of western Canada’s many field crops.

Here’s one of the five guides we highly recommend but there’s also guides for wireworm pest species, cutworm pest species, cow patty insects plus the pests & predators field guide! Find them all here to download!

Field heroes

The Field Heroes campaign continues to raise awareness of the role of beneficial insects in western Canadian crops.

Field Heroes resources include:

Real Agriculture went live in 2025 with Season 5 of the Pest and Predators podcast series!
• NEW Episode 34 – Could a wasp from Europe help control lygus bugs in the Prairies? Héctor A. Cárcamo (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Lethbridge) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online April 29, 2025.
• Episode 32 – Buzzing Benefits: How Treed Borders Boost Pollination & Pest Control Carol Frost (University of Alberta), Rachel Pizante (University of Alberta), and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online April 16, 2025.
• Episode 31 – A mystery at the edge of the field: Where are field heroes thriving? Abbe Pawluk and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online March 25, 2025.
• Review and listen to the full lineup of:
SEASON 5 of the Pest and Predators podcasts (2024)
SEASON 4 of the Pest and Predators podcasts (2023)
SEASON 3 of the Pest and Predators podcasts (2022)
SEASON 2 of the Pest and Predators podcasts (2021)
SEASON 1 of the Pest and Predators podcasts (2020)
The Pests and Predators Field Guide (2021) is filled with helpful images for quick insect identification and plenty of tips to manage the pests AND natural enemies in your fields.
Crop Scouting Guides (2021) specific to cereals, oilseeds, or pulses.
Scouting Guides (2022) for aphids, cutworms, diamondback moth larvae, or bertha armyworm.
NEW Educator’s Field Heroes Resource Guide (2025) bringing classroom activities and information to inspire and increase awareness of beneficial insects!

Follow @FieldHeroes!

Field heroes

The Field Heroes campaign continues to raise awareness of the role of beneficial insects in western Canadian crops.

Field Heroes resources include:

Real Agriculture went live in 2022 with Season 3 of the Pest and Predators podcast series!
• NEW Episode 15 – Aphid milkshakes: Green lacewing’s fave Tyler Wist (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 2022.
• NEW Episode 14 – Mistaken identities: Insect pest or beneficial? John Gavloski (Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 2022.
• NEW Episode 13 – Weather effects: Predicting pest populations James Tansey (Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture), Meghan Vankosky (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon), and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 2022.
• Review SEASON 2 of the Pest and Predators podcasts!
• Review SEASON 1 of the Pest and Predators podcasts!
The Pests and Predators Field Guide is filled with helpful images for quick insect identification and plenty of tips to manage the pests AND natural enemies in your fields. Claim your free copy at http://fieldheroes.ca/fieldguide/ or download a free copy to arm your in-field scouting efforts!
Review the Sweep-net Video Series including:
• How to sweep a field. Meghan Vankosky (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon). Published online 2020.
• What’s in my sweep-net? Meghan Vankosky (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon). Published online 2020.
• Why use a sweep-net? Meghan Vankosky (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon). Published online 2020.

Follow @FieldHeroes!

Weekly Update

Week 4 and scouting continues despite the rain, some frost, and all those other crazy springtime things that affect agriculture! Be sure to catch the Insect of the Week – it’s pea leaf weevil! Click to review scouting information for cutworms, wireworms, pea leaf weevil, ladybird beetles, canola and flax scouting charts, Field Heroes, and the 2021 crop protection guides, plus there’s more updated information coming your way this week!

Stay safe and good scouting to you!

Questions or problems accessing the contents of this Weekly Update? Please contact us so we can connect you to our information. Past “Weekly Updates” can be accessed on our Weekly Update page .

Field heroes

The Field Heroes campaign continues to raise awareness of the role of beneficial insects in western Canadian crops. Check the recently updated Field Heroes website for scouting guides, downloadable posters, and videos. Learn about these important organisms at work in your fields!

Two important NEW resources for 2021 include:

The NEW Pests and Predators Field Guide is filled with helpful images for quick insect indentification and plenty of tips to manage the pests AND natural enemies in your fields. Claim your free copy at http://fieldheroes.ca/fieldguide/ or download for free to arm your in-field scouting efforts!

2. Real Agriculture went live in 2021 with Season 2 of the Pest and Predators podcast series!

• Access Episode 6 – Powerful parasitoids: Better than fiction (April 20, 2021)

• Access Episode 7 – Good vs pea leaf weEVIL (May 4, 2021)

• Recap of SEASON 1: Episode 1 – Do you know your field heroes? Episode 2 – An inside look at the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network. 3 – How much can one wasp save you? Episode 4 – Eat and be eaten — grasshoppers as pests and food Episode 5 – Killer wasp has only one target — wheat stem sawfly Episode 6 – Plentiful parasitoids

Access ALL the Field Heroes links here and be sure to follow @FieldHeroes!

Field heroes

Real Agriculture went live in 2020 with a Pest and Predators podcast series!

• Access Episode 1 – Do you know your field heroes? Jennifer Otani (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Beaverlodge) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 12, 2020.

• Access Episode 2 – An inside look at the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network. Meghan Vankosky (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 26, 2020.

• Access Episode 3 – How much can one wasp save you? Haley Catton (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Lethbridge) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online June 9, 2020.

• Access Episode 4 – Eat and be eaten — grasshoppers as pests and food John Gavloski (Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online June 23, 2020.

• Access Episode 5 – Killer wasp has only one target — wheat stem sawfly Scott Meers (Mayland Consulting) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online July 7, 2020.

• Access Episode 6 – Plentiful parasitoids Tyler Wist ( Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online July 21, 2020.

Access ALL the Field Heroes links here and be sure to follow @FieldHeroes!

Field heroes

Real Agriculture went live in 2020 with a Pest and Predators podcast series!

• Access Episode 1 – Do you know your field heroes? Jennifer Otani (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Beaverlodge) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 12, 2020.

• Access Episode 2 – An inside look at the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network. Meghan Vankosky (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 26, 2020.

• Access Episode 3 – How much can one wasp save you? Haley Catton (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Lethbridge) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online June 9, 2020.

• Access Episode 4 – Eat and be eaten — grasshoppers as pests and food John Gavloski (Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online June 23, 2020.

• Access Episode 5 – Killer wasp has only one target — wheat stem sawfly Scott Meers (Mayland Consulting) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online July 7, 2020.

• Access Episode 6 – Plentiful parasitoids Tyler Wist ( Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online July 21, 2020.

Access ALL the Field Heroes links here and be sure to follow @FieldHeroes!

Field heroes

Real Agriculture went live in 2020 with a Pest and Predators podcast series!

• Access Episode 1 – Do you know your field heroes? Jennifer Otani (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Beaverlodge) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 12, 2020.

• Access Episode 2 – An inside look at the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network. Meghan Vankosky (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 26, 2020.

• Access Episode 3 – How much can one wasp save you? Haley Catton (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Lethbridge) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online June 9, 2020.

• Access Episode 4 – Eat and be eaten — grasshoppers as pests and food John Gavloski (Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online June 23, 2020.

• Access Episode 5 – Killer wasp has only one target — wheat stem sawfly Scott Meers (Mayland Consulting) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online July 7, 2020.

Access ALL the Field Heroes links here and be sure to follow @FieldHeroes!

Field heroes

Real Agriculture went live in 2020 with a Pest and Predators podcast series!

• Access Episode 1 – Do you know your field heroes? Jennifer Otani (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Beaverlodge) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 12, 2020.

• Access Episode 2 – An inside look at the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network. Meghan Vankosky (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Saskatoon) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online May 26, 2020.

• Access Episode 3 – How much can one wasp save you? Haley Catton (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Lethbridge) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online June 9, 2020.

• Access Episode 4 – Eat and be eaten — grasshoppers as pests and food John Gavloski (Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online June 23, 2020.

• Access Episode 5 – Killer wasp has only one target — wheat stem sawfly Scott Meers (Mayland Consulting) and Shaun Haney (RealAg). Published online July 7, 2020.

Access ALL the Field Heroes links here and be sure to follow @FieldHeroes!

Field Heroes

The Field Heroes campaign continues to raise awareness of the role of beneficial insects in western Canadian crops.

Make use of the Scouting Guides freely available on the Field Heroes website. Each guide includes valuable information and photos to help identify the contents valuable arthropods occurring in field crops.

Have you seen the “Check the Net” infographics that helps growers understand just how many organisms are present in cereals, oilseeds, and pulses and that ONLY A SMALL PROPORTION are considered economic pests? A great many of the other insects, spiders, and mites are beneficial organisms that work to regulate crop pests! Protect and enhance their impact on crop pests by performing in-field assessments and use economic thresholds to help decide when control is warranted and find out more about the Cereal Avengers, Oilseed Avengers and Pulse Avengers!

Link here to access a complete list of all the PPMN Blog Posts related to Natural Enemies!

Be sure to follow @FieldHeroes on Twitter for practical tips and information.

Thanks to Western Grains Research Foundation for their support of this important campaign. This initiative has been made possible through the support and advice of enthusiastic members of the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network.

Insect of the Week – Natural Enemies of the wheat stem sawfly

This week’s Insects of the Week are the natural enemies (@FieldHeroes) of the wheat stem sawfly, namely Bracon cephi (Gahan) and B. lissogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

Nine species of parasitic wasps are known to attack wheat stem sawfly but Bracon cephi and B. lissogaster are the main species that help regulate this pest in North America. These closely related wasp species are described as idiobiont ectoparasitoids meaning the parasitoid larva, after hatching from an egg laid on the surface of the sawfly larva, feeds on the exterior of the host. Normally, both Bracon species will complete their development (i.e., pupates) inside the wheat stem within the integument of the sawfly larva or just beside the consumed host. There are two generations of B. cephi and B. lissogaster per year. The first generation normally completes its lifecycle then escapes from the wheat stem to locate a new sawfly larva to parasitize. The second generation of these wasps will overwinter within the wheat stem.

These wasps are 2-15 mm long and are usually brown in colour. They have a narrow waist connecting the abdomen to the thorax and the combined length of head plus thorax is equal to the length of the abdomen. These parastiod wasps have long antennae and two pairs of transparent wings. Females have a noticeable ovipositor protruding from the end of the abdomen.

For more information about the natural enemies of the wheat stem sawfly, check out our Insect of the Week page!

Field Heroes

As crops continue to grow, please consider the vital role beneficial organisms have in your fields. Please make use of the Scouting Guides freely available on the Field Heroes website. Each guide includes valuable information and photos to help identify the contents of a sweep-net and to increase understanding of the impact of beneficial insects. Please share and encourage use of the Scouting Guides.

Be sure to follow @FieldHeroes on Twitter for practical tips and information. Please tag @FieldHeroes in your own Tweets about beneficials. Re-Tweets are great, too.

Thanks to Western Grains Research Foundation for their support of this important campaign. This initiative is not possible without the support and advice of enthusiastic members of the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network. Our research is having a tangible impact on growers’ pest management decisions.

Link here to access a complete list of all the PPMN Blog Posts related to Natural Enemies!

Field Heroes

What a difference a year makes! The Field Heroes campaign has been successful at raising awareness of the role of beneficial insects in Western Canadian crops. You’ll see this year’s campaign giving growers and agronomists more details on the many natural enemies they should be scouting for in cereal, oilseed and pulse crops.

Please make use of the Scouting Guides freely available on the Field Heroes website. Each guide includes valuable information and photos to help identify the contents of a sweep-net and to increase understanding of the impact of beneficial insects. Please share and encourage use of the Scouting Guides.

Be sure to follow @FieldHeroes on Twitter for practical tips and information. Please tag @FieldHeroes in your own Tweets about beneficials. Re-Tweets are great, too.

Link here to access a complete list of all the PPMN Blog Posts related to Natural Enemies!

Insect of the Week – Ground beetles: cutworm natural enemies

This week’s Insect of the Week is a large group of insects called ground beetles, also known as carabid beetles. Many species feed on cutworms as well as other pests.

Almost 400 different species of ground beetles occur on the Prairies, ranging in size from just a few millimetres to more than 2 centimetres. A field may contain 50 or more species, with densities ranging up to 10 beetles per square meter.

Ground beetles are characterized with long threadlike antennae, have a body that is flattened top-to-bottom, and have strong legs designed for running, large eyes, and obvious jaws (mandibles). Smaller ground beetle species can be important predators of cutworm eggs. Larger species attack and kill fully-grown cutworm larvae.

With all the work they do protecting your crop, ground beetles are real @FieldHeroes.

Find out more about ground beetles at the Insect of the Week page!

Adult Carabus nemoralis attacking a bertha armyworm caterpillar.

Photocredit – Vincent Hervet, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Species of ground beetles common in agricultural fields on the Prairies.

From left to right: Bembidion quadrimaculatum, Agonum cupreum,

Pterostichus melanarius, Calosoma calidum.

Photocredit – Henri Goulet (retired), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

For a detailed review of ground beetle research, biology, distribution, habitat, diet, etc., see Chapter 1: Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the Prairie Grasslands of Canada.

**NEW – Don’t forget there’s a new cutworm identification manual you can download from the Cutworm Field Guide page – NEW**

Winter Update – Reminder: Field Heroes!

Earlier this growing season the Field Heroes campaign began. The campaign is supported by Western Grains Research Foundation and is aimed at increasing awareness of naturally occurring arthropods that are beneficial to growers owing to their ability to consumer insect pest species!

Make sure to visit their website to learn more about some of the beneficial arthropods active in agricultural field crops on the prairies and consider following @FieldHeroes in your Twitter feed.

Insect of the Week – Tetrastichus julis

This week’s Insect of the Week is Tetrastichus julis. They are a parasitoid enemy of the cereal leaf beetle. Mature larvae overwinter in infested cereal leaf beetle cocoons and emerge in spring to lay more eggs in cereal leaf beetle larvae. Adults feed on nectar and aphid honeydew.

For more information on Tetrastichus julis, visit our Insect of the Week page.

Tetrastichus julis – adult parasitizing a cereal leaf beetle larva
(Swaroop Kher, University of Alberta/AAFC)

Follow @FieldHeroes to find out how natural enemies are working for you for FREE to protect your crops!

Remember the NEW Cutworm Field Guide is free and downloadable in 2017!

Insect of the Week – Aphidius parasitoid wasp

This week’s Insect of the Week is the Aphidius parasitoid wasp. Their hosts include over 40 species of aphids. Egg to adult development occurs inside the host. New adults chew a hole in the mummified aphid to exit and immediately search for new aphid hosts.

For more information on the Aphidius parasitoid wasp, see our Insect of the Week page.

Parasitized English grain aphid (Tyler Wist, AAFC)

Aphidiidae – adult (Aphidius avenaphis) (Tyler Wist, AAFC)

Follow @FieldHeroes to learn more about the natural enemies that are working for you for FREE to protect your crops!

Remember the NEW Cutworm Field Guide is free and downloadable in 2017!

Insect of the Week – Macroglenes penetrans

This week’s Insect of the Week is a beneficial wasp from the Family Pteromalidae named Macroglenes penetrans. It is an important natural enemy of wheat midge. The wasp is a parasitoid that lives within the wheat midge larva and overwinters within the host. In the spring, the parasitoid larva develops to emerge from the wheat midge cocoon buried in the soil and seeks out wheat midge eggs.

For more information about M. penetrans, see our Insect of the Week page.

Macroglenes penetrans – adult (AAFC)

Follow @FieldHeroes to learn more about Natural Enemies that are working for you for FREE to protect your crops!

Remember the NEW Cutworm Field Guide is free and downloadable in 2017!

Weekly Update – Field Heroes

@Field Heroes – Western Grains Research Foundation is supporting a new initiative to help growers, agrologists and the general public learn more about beneficial arthropods active in field crops. Provincial entomologists from Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, along with input from AAFC researchers, are working with Synthesis, a communications company, to promote and increase awareness of these incredible arthropod heroes!

Follow @FieldHeroes for great information on these beneficials.

NEW – Access great information on beneficials to support in-field monitoring at http://www.fieldheroes.ca/

The website includes scouting guides to help identify and link pest/beneficial combinations – all aimed at helping growers and agrologists understand and preserve the many arthropods hard at work in fields across the Canadian prairies.

Weekly Update – Field Heroes

@Field Heroes – Western Grains Research Foundation is supporting a new initiative to help growers, agrologists and the general public learn more about beneficial arthropods active in field crops. Provincial entomologists from Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, along with input from AAFC researchers, are working with Synthesis, a communications company, to promote and increase awareness of these incredible arthropod heroes!

Follow @FieldHeroes for great information on these beneficials. Watch for a NEW website coming soon including scouting guides to help identify and link pest/beneficial combinations – all to help growers and agrologists understand and preserve the many arthropods already working in fields across the Canadian prairies.