Bare patches or slow to grow areas should be investigated and especially within the 5-10 days following seeding. Cutworms and wireworms are often the first insect pests of the season so don't be afraid to dig in that top 3-4 cm of the soil near the base of emerging plants OR within the seed row. You could find cutworms or wireworms and here's more information to help:
1. NEW Cutworm Guide - a free downloadable full-colour guide to cutworm identification, biology and management in field crops grown across the Canadian prairies. A screen shot is provided below but the guide is available in both English and French.
2. Wireworm pages from recent Insect Field Guide - below you can download ONLY the wireworm pages from this guide published in 2015 which is available in both English and French.
