Farmers' dilemma: To spray or not to spray

As insects ravage fields in some areas of Saskatchewan, farmers are pondering whether they should turn to insecticide and spray once, twice— or not at all.

Bertha armyworms have been a major source of crop damage in the northeast and east-central portions of the province, but there have been a variety of other bugs eating their way through farmers' fields. Some farms have been seeing wheat midges, aphids, grasshoppers and flea beetles.

According to the Saskatchewan Agriculture Department, if there are 10 to 34 larvae per square metre in a field, it might be worth it to spray with insecticide.

The cost varies, although some farmers were saying this weekthey were spending about $12 an acre— or $12,000 for a typical 1,000-acre farm.

Some hold back on spraying, others aren't

Dale Risula of the Agriculture Department says some farmers with bugs in their fields are holding back on spraying at all this year. Others are doing calculations on the cost of application and the expected value of the crop and are proceeding.

"People are looking at that particular number before they decide to spray," he said. "I think it's directly because the economics of farming are so tight they don't want to make a mistake in that regard."

According to Risula, one alternative to spraying with insecticide is applying an armyworm-killing virus to the field.

However, the problem with the virus is it doesn't kick in fast enough. Unless they're killed quickly, the worms can ruin a crop.