The coordinated program for monitoring bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata , throughout the prairie provinces was run again in 2000. Pheromone traps were installed by the respective provincial agriculture departments on farms and maintained by cooperators throughout the bertha flight.
Traps determine the density and distribution of moths.
Data from the traps, levels of parasitism, and other factors indicated that the risk of bertha armyworm infestation was very low for 2000. As a result, the trend of declining moth populations continued into 1998 . In 1999 larvae were so scarce that parasitism rates could not be tested. The few bertha larvae collected in Saskatchewan in 2000 were parasitised or suffered from insect diseases. There are no changes in bertha armyworm infestation risk anticipated for 2001 at this time.