SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington State University Cooperative Extension has organized a special tour to familiarize growers with the cereal leaf beetle, a new and potentially serious pest in cereal grains in the Northwest.
Diana Roberts, WSU Spokane County Cooperative Extension agronomist, says the pest was first found in Washington state in 1999 and is now moving across the state.
The tour will allow farmers and others in the industry to see first hand the damage the insect can inflict, and to learn how to manage the new threat to grain production in the Northwest.
The tour will start at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, June 26, at Kit Cutler’s farm at Nine Mile Falls.
“The tour will include an insectary set up on the Cutler farm for establishing biocontrol insects. There also will be discussion of insecticide use, biocontrol programs, and quarantines,” Roberts said.
“Cereal leaf beetles like all cereal grains. We anticipate that it will be most damaging in irrigated crops, but I encourage dryland producers and field agronomists to attend the tour,” continued Roberts. “These bugs are messy, so don’t wear your best clothes.”
The tour is free, and Washington pesticide credits have been requested.
The Cutler farm is at 17606 Southbank Road. From Spokane, go west on Francis Ave. and continue north on State Route 291. Immediately north of Nine Mile Dam, turn west on Charles Road and go about five miles. Take a right on Southbank Road and the farm is about 100 yards along on the right. Allow at least 45 minutes from downtown Spokane.
For more information, contact Roberts at Spokane County Cooperative Extension, (509) 477-2167, or e-mail robertsd@wsu.edu.
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