LOCATION: CENTENNIAL 1
WEDNESDAY, February 11, 2026 – 11:35am – 12:15pm
Dr. Meghan Vankosky (meghan.vankosky@agr.gc.ca) is a research scientist and entomologist from AAFC, located at the Saskatoon Research and Development Centre. Her research program focuses on studying the biology and population ecology of insect pests and their natural enemies in order to inform pest management programs. Dr. Vankosky is currently studying the biology and impact of canola flower midge (Contarinia brassicola). She also studies the biology, management, and population dynamics of pea leaf weevil, pest grasshopper species, and cabbage root maggot (in vegetable crops). She is also interested in biological control of insect pests and participates in monitoring programs for invasive species that could threaten prairie agriculture.
Dr. Vankosky is the co-Chair of the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network (PPMN). The PPMN is a group of entomologists on the prairies that coordinates and conducts annual surveys of key insect pests of cereals, oilseeds, and pulses, including bertha armyworm, diamondback moth, cabbage seedpod weevil, and grasshoppers. The PPMN provides weekly updates and annual risk and distribution maps to farmers, agronomists, researchers and other agricultural stakeholders to help with insect management and timely decision making. The PPMN has also developed standardized scouting protocols for key insect pests. Where possible, the scouting protocols align with the best methods to determine if insect populations warrant management with insecticides.
Prairie Insect Monitoring and Management
Insects can contribute to yield loss via direct and indirect damage to cereal, pulse, and oilseed crops. Managing insect pests can be difficult and the best approach to management varies from species to species or pest to pest. Monitoring and scouting programs are the foundation of integrated pest management and biovigilance. In western Canada, the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network conducts annual monitoring of major insect pests across the prairie region. This annual data collection effort is used to estimate risk at a regional scale both during the growing season (e.g., bertha armyworm and diamondback moth) and between growing seasons (e.g., grasshoppers, wheat midge). The PPMN also uses insect phenology models to predict the timing of insect development during the growing season, helping to better time scouting activities and the use of management tactics. Dr. Vankosky will discuss monitoring, scouting, and management of several insect pests of interest in Manitoba including grasshoppers, cabbage seedpod weevil, pea leaf weevil, and canola flower midge.