Crop Scouting Guides

Every crop supports a different mix of insect pests and beneficial species. Knowing what to look for helps you make better decisions about when to act and when to hold back. These short guides highlight the beneficial insects most often found in Prairie cereal, pulse, and oilseed crops and the important role they play in natural pest control. Use them alongside your sweep net results to understand what’s happening in your fields throughout the season.

Also see Pest Scouting Guides

CEREALS

In cereal crops such as wheat, barley, and oats, beneficial insects help keep common pests like aphids and wheat midge in check. Green lacewings, hover flies, and lady beetles feed on soft-bodied insects, while rove beetles and ground beetles target larvae in the soil and canopy. Tiny parasitic wasps also play a major role in controlling wheat stem sawfly and cereal leaf beetle.

PULSES

Pulse crops attract a diverse group of beneficial insects that hunt aphids, thrips, and leafhoppers. Green lacewings and hover flies are easy to spot, and minute pirate bugs and ground beetles are active predators that feed on eggs, caterpillars, and even weed seeds. Recognizing these species helps protect them when pest pressure is low.

OILSEEDS

In oilseed crops such as canola and sunflower, pollinators and predators work side by side. Bees improve yield and seed set, while lady beetles, lacewings, and ground beetles feed on aphids and cutworm larvae. Rove beetles and parasitic wasps help manage root maggots and other pests in the soil. Reducing unnecessary spraying during flowering protects these valuable allies.

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