Insect pests such as Hessian fly, Wireworms, Cereal Leaf Beetle, Aphids (especially the new Wheat Grass Aphid), Pea Weevils (pdf), and Cabbage Seedpod Weevils have the potential to severely impact crop yields and thus a producer’s bottom line. In order to know if unwanted insects or insect damage exists, one must be willing to regularly scout their fields to determine the extent of emerging pest threats. If insect damage or insect pests are identified, producers then need to determine what is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound pest management option. This may include biological control like with Cereal Leaf Beetle or cultural controls such as altered planting dates and/or selecting varieties that may express resistance for pests like Hessian Fly.
Often, producers rely on insecticides to get pest populations back down below treatment or action threshold levels. Unfortunately, there are a lot of products to choose from. Some products may work better on certain kinds of pests and not others, not all products have the same active ingredients (AI) nor the same (AI) percent concentration, which also may affect pest control outcomes. Some products may be “Crop” specific.
Lastly, Insecticide Resistance, while not as common as Herbicide Resistance with plants, has been documented, especially in Aphids. Therefore, just like herbicides, it is recommended to rotate insecticide “Modes of Action” as well. The following Web-Tool, Insecticide Mode of Action and Comparison was developed to help producers identify insecticides based on “Crop” i.e. Canola, Peas or Wheat, by-product “Trade Name”, by “Active Ingredient” and by the insecticides Mode of Action (MOA).