Description
The spread of cabbage seedpod weevil into new areas of Western Canada means many canola growers are facing an unfamiliar pest in the battle to protect canola yields.
Historically confined to southern regions on the western side of the Prairies, higher CSPW populations have pushed into central Alberta (reaching as far north as Edmonton), central Saskatchewan (up to Saskatoon), and surging heavily into Manitoba and even North Dakota in 2026.
This Canola School episode features guest host Autumn Good discussing how to scout for and manage CSPW with John Gavloski, veteran entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture. (Autumn is working with BASF's Jeanette Gaultier as an intern this summer.)
While adult weevils—distinguished by their grey bodies and snout-like rostrums—cause minor damage, it's their larvae that can cause significant damage by feeding directly on seeds inside the pods, he explains.
To scout effectively, Gavloski demonstrates and recommends the following key practices:
Use a standard 15-inch diameter sweep net.
Sweep horizontally through the canopy, ensuring the top inch of the crop sits just below the net’s upper rim. Take a step between each sweep.
Account for the edge effect: Weevils aggregate heavily on field borders early on. Conduct half of your sweeps along the edge, but ensure the other half are taken at least 50 meters into the field, says Gavloski.
Scouting can begin at the bud stage, but critical decisions rely on numbers gathered during 10 per cent to 20 per cent flowering.
If counts hit the economic threshold of 25 to 40 weevils per 10 sweeps, an insecticide application may be warranted to protect your yield, while taking steps to safeguard vital pollinators.
Check out John's demonstration and full conversation with Autumn above, filmed at the Crop Diagnostic School in Carman, Man.
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