Pre-Season 2026 Tracking Prairie Insect Threats

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Agronomists share what they’re watching — and how to respond

By Mary Loggan

Insect pressure on Prairie crops can shift dramatically from one season to the next.

Changing weather and variable crop conditions continually reshape which insect pests show up — and how severe they become.

For 2026, crop advisors say the risks remain highly variable and region-specific across the Prairies.

Top insect pests

In Mackenzie County, Alta., Scott Schaffert has watched clover cutworms shift from a rarely mentioned pest to a significant threat in a short period.

“For the 2026 season, growers should be extra aware of clover cutworms,” warns the self-employed Certified Crop Advisor.

“Clover cutworms are an above-ground larva that feed on canola. They look and act very similar to Bertha armyworms, but there are two major differences.

“On the clover cutworm, the stripe in the middle of the back tends to be a pinkish-orange colour, while Bertha’s is a yellowish orange. The other difference is that the majority of clover cutworm damage tends to come from feeding in mid-June, whereas you don’t normally see Bertha’s damage until canola is podding.”

He says the populations have been growing in recent years.

“We first started noticing clover cutworms in 2023, and the levels have increased each year since.”

In Southern Saskatchewan, CCA Braelynne Heck says canola growers will once again have to watch for more than one insect at a time.

“Flea beetles remain the most consistent early-season threat in canola across all Prairie regions. Spring temperature variability plays a major role in pressure levels, and in many cases, feeding exceeds what seed treatments alone can manage.

“The 2025 season also highlighted the impact of cabbage seedpod weevils, especially in the Regina plains,” she says.

“Seeding delays caused by rainfall resulted in a large proportion of early-seeded canola entering first bloom during peak weevil activity. Fields that were seeded early and avoided the late-July heat stress still suffered yield losses due to unchecked weevil pressure during flowering.”

In Manitoba’s Southwest, Emily Elliott, field advisor with Enns Brothers out of Melita, is using last season’s conditions to shape expectations for 2026.

“Insects can be a very hard thing to predict overall.

“Grasshopper pressure was relatively light here in 2025. They lay eggs in the fall and then tend to emerge in April-June.

“Last year, we had a fairly wet summer once we got to July. When conditions are muddy, grasshoppers can have issues with their spiracles (breathing openings on the sides of their bodies) filling with mud and ultimately causing death. I would hope these conditions will help us see a low overall grasshopper pressure in 2026.”

Cutworms, however, remain a concern.

“Cutworms are hard to predict. But with fall rains, we had a lot of green growth late in the season, which is where moths will lay eggs.

“Also important to note is that if you had any soybeans or cover crops, you really want to watch these fields for cutworm pressure. If we have a warm and dry spring, they also tend to thrive.”

With canola, Elliott expects familiar early season problems to return.

“With high canola acreage, we are always bound to have flea beetles around. Usually, the first canola fields planted will have the highest risk, as flea beetles are looking for early food sources, and canola plants may have a delayed start if they are planted into cold or dry conditions early.

“Cabbage seed pod weevil — we thought was an Alberta problem, but we did see damage in 2025, so monitoring this one will be important.”

In Shaunavon, Sask., Rahulkumar Patel, agronomist with Pioneer Co-op, ties much of his region’s insect story to moisture patterns.

“Similar to other pest problems, grasshoppers in drought years and poor control with G4 insecticide product have caused issues. This is the same for aphid infestation in pulses.

“Fewer populations were recorded last season due to more rainfall during July and August, and this created fungal parasitism in grasshoppers, which was a relief for farmers in the 2025 season.”

Specific management challenges

For Schaffert, clover cutworms are particularly challenging.

“Clover cutworm management presents several issues. Since they come earlier than Bertha armyworms (and are not monitored by traps), we have to scout for them early and often.

“The heaviest damage we’ve seen has been in that window after herbicide application before fungicide season.”

He notes the speed of damage is also concerning.

“Areas with only a few worms and no visible damage on Thursday can have five to 10-acre patches defoliated by Sunday.”

Heck says insect management sometimes comes down to one critical decision point in a season.

“Producers often have only one chance each season to mitigate insect damage and yield loss due to weed pressure.”

Regular scouting with a sweep net, guidance from a certified agronomist, and rapid response are essential, she points out.

Elliott stresses both the value and limitations of insecticidal seed treatments.

“For flea beetles, your best defence is seed treatment, of course, but they wear off over time.

“Ideally, don’t be the first person putting canola in the ground, and wait for warmer soil conditions so canola hopefully gets up and going quickly.”

She says this is logistically challenging because growers have a large area to cover in a short window.

“If you have canola fields seeded in inadequate conditions, make sure you or your agronomists check emergence, and be prepared that you may need an insecticide pass.

“Also, remember we are dealing with two types of flea beetles, striped and crucifer, so make sure products cover both of these.”

Planning ahead for spring

Heck links insect management to intentional, margin aware decision making.

“For the 2026 season, one of the most important lessons learned is the need for producers to clearly understand the cost of inputs and applications, while still setting themselves up for agronomic success.

“With tighter margins, every pass needs to be intentional, timely, and based on realistic expectations of return.

“Cutting costs without a plan can be just as risky as overspending.”

She also sees growing value in predictive tools.

“From an IPM standpoint, decision-support tools that integrate weather, crop stage, and pest development models are becoming increasingly valuable.

“Advances in remote sensing, predictive modelling, and digital scouting tools could significantly improve timing and reduce unnecessary applications.”

Schaffert is actively trying to refine the local understanding of clover cutworm risk.

“I would be interested in trying out some different strategies to deal with our growing clover cutworm losses. I sent out a grower questionnaire to local growers who both had clover cutworm outbreaks and those who didn’t.

“Since there’s not much research into them, I’m looking to see if there are any trends in terms of cultural practices, seed treatments or crop rotations that may influence locations and severity of outbreaks.”

He also notes a cultural change that may benefit insect management.

“More and more growers, especially the young generations, are becoming more aware of potential problems. “They are taking in information in the form of webinars, scouting, grower meetings and even ‘Googling’ issues and are increasingly willing to take action.”

Elliott returns to the importance of having enough eyes on crops and adjusting gradually.

“If you have a question, ask.

“It’s a lot easier to deal with problems we are aware of. Ease into new practices.

“Whether you are looking into changing up your crop rotation, using new products or strategies, don’t do all your acres at once.

“Think big picture. Not all insects are bad; we need to remember that when spraying insecticides and protect pollinators and beneficials as much as we can.”

Patel folds insect management into his broader push for integrated pest management and on farm learning.

“I am encouraging farmers to adopt an integrated pest management approach to manage different insects.

“I would like to encourage farmers, keep faith and trust in their practice of farming and adapt early to new IPM tools and techniques which are proven in the Prairie regions by researchers at universities and at local research stations.

“I recommend farmers conduct on-farm field-scale research trials on new tools and techniques for the next five to 10 years and record daily weather observations to correlate them with their crop yields for future management.” BF