Scouting for insect pests helps you understand when numbers reach the point where control is worth considering. These guides highlight four key Prairie pests and the beneficial insects that help keep them in check. Use them to identify pests accurately, apply economic thresholds, and make balanced management decisions that protect both yield and field health.
Also see Crop Scouting Guides
Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that feed by sucking sap from plants. They multiply quickly in warm weather and can reduce yield if populations build.
Lady beetles, lacewings, and damsel bugs are natural predators that feed heavily on aphids and can prevent outbreaks when left undisturbed.
Cutworms are smooth-skinned caterpillars that feed at or below the soil surface, cutting young plants at the base. Damage often appears as wilted or missing seedlings in patches.
Ground beetles, parasitoid wasps, and flies are key natural enemies that reduce cutworm populations in most years.
Diamondback moth larvae feed on canola leaves, flowers, and pods, creating shot holes and reducing seed quality. Adult moths arrive from the southern United States each spring, and several generations can develop in a single season.
Damsel bugs, ground beetles, and parasitic wasps like Diadegma insulare and Microplitis plutellae help control diamondback moth naturally.
Bertha armyworm larvae can cause serious defoliation in canola and other broadleaf crops when populations build. Early detection is critical, as outbreaks can spread quickly.
Parasitic wasps such as Banchus flavescens and tachinid flies are important natural enemies that often keep populations below damaging levels.
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