Corn rootworm hits Okanagan

A pest that infested Fraser Valley corn fields in 2017 has made an appearance in the North Okanagan.

The BC Dairy Association recently alerted members to the discovery of Western corn rootworm on farms in Armstrong, Enderby and Salmon Arm by a seed industry representative in August.

The province is following up to determine the extent of the pest and its impact.

“We have conducted limited surveys in collaboration with consultants in the North Okanagan since the detection in August,” says ministry entomologist Susanna Acheampong.

A ministry factsheet says Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera) is a major corn pest native to the Americas. It has been an issue in the US Midwest for over 50 years, costing growers more than $1 billion in corn yield loss and control measures annually.

The impact in Canada, where it is present in Ontario and Quebec, is unknown. The last major outbreak in BC occurred in 2017, following a detection in the Fraser Valley in August 2016.

“The pest has caused extensive localized damage on some farms in some areas but we do not yet have information on total affected acreage,” notes Acheampong.

The ministry will survey for the pest in 2024 in order to understand its impact in the North Okanagan. Growers who would like to participate can contact Acheampong at [susanna.acheampong@gov.bc.ca].

Several producers contacted in the North Okanagan reported hearing about the pest but have not detected any issues with their own crops, which can look weak or drought-stricken when infested.

“I’ve not seen any sign of it,” says Henry Bremer, who cultivates about 200 acres of corn at Cliffview Dairy Ltd. in Enderby.

Rootworms lay their eggs in the soil where cold temperatures allow them to complete development and hatch in late May or June.

The larvae then feed on brace roots of corn and pupate in the soil around the corn plants. A week later, adult beetles emerge to feed.

Producers who discover larvae on plant roots should plan to take management steps in affected fields the following season.

Corn rootworm has no other significant host plants so crop rotation is effective at breaking the lifecycle of the pest.

When crop rotation is not possible, the application of insecticide at the time of planting and/or planting a corn hybrid with resistance to Western corn rootworm is recommended.

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11 hours ago

Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

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4 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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5 days ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

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Bessette Creek is the latest watershed hit with a temporary fish protection order this year as the province moves to protect returning Chinook salmon. A total of 131 surface and groundwater users must cease drawing water immediately, with forage producers, greenhouses and nurseries impacted. "Declining flows in Bessette Creek reached record lows in early July 2026 and have remained below the minimum level required to support fish population survival," says the province. Bessette producers have embraced voluntary cutbacks, scheduled irrigation and other measures to reduce water use, and are also waiting on funding to boost water storage infrastructure. They're the second group of producers hit with a provincial order this year. Salmon River irrigators were told to top watering earlier this month following a reprieve to address wildfire risk. Growers in both the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds are urging the province to support new water storage infrastructure in advance of next year.

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There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.