by BERNARD TOBIN
Tracey Baute, an entomologist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, knows her insects. But it’s hard to put your finger on a problem pest if you can’t find it.
That happened this summer when Baute got a call from Wilson, who farms near Rodney in Elgin County. He wanted her to identify the culprit that was clipping the heads off plants in his winter wheat field.
Before setting foot in the field, Baute had pegged the likely pest. All she had to do was get a visual identification to confirm her suspicions.