The discovery of a small number of Japanese beetles in south Vancouver and Burnaby have prompted renewed calls for vigilance and precautions on the part of industry and the public. Since the pest’s discovery near False Creek in Vancouver in 2017, the BC Landscape and Nursery Association has been part of a coordinated response by …
pest
Canada holds off Asian giant hornet restrictions
ABBOTSFORD – Canada has yet to follow the lead of Washington State and move to declare Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) a quarantine pest. On April 7, Washington officials filed for all species in the genus Vespa to be placed on the list of quarantined pests for the state. The hornets were first reported in …
Giant hornets headline beekeepers’ concerns
PRINCE GEORGE – If you want to catch a bee, ask a beekeeper to help. That’s the strategy provincial apiculturist Paul van Westendorp used when two Asian giant hornets were spotted and captured at a Nanaimo-area apiary in September, and it’s a good thing he did. “This is a totally other creature,” van Westendorp told …
Armyworm precautions urged
The province is asking North Okanagan producers affected by Western yellowstriped armyworm to help prevent spreading the pest. BC Ministry of Agriculture staff in Kelowna reported that a load of cut hay infested with armyworms was sold and shipped from a farm in the North Okanagan. The ministry did not provide details on where the …
Japanese beetle fight continues
Summertime, and pest control workers are doing their best to make sure the living ain’t easy for Japanese beetle. Regular surveillance by Canadian Food Inspection Agency staff discovered the invasive pest in the False Creek area in 2017, and increased surveillance in 2018 saw 2,088 traps placed. By the end of the season last year, …
Vole control in blueberries
LANGLEY – Vole, mouse, shrew or mole: researcher Sofi Hindmarch wants to help blueberry growers better understand the rodents in their fields to help them reduce the volume and cost of rodenticides and improve the health of their plants. A project co-ordinator with the Fraser Valley Conservancy, Hindmarch’s work with barn owls and other raptors …