Alfalfa, Medicago sativa, is a major forage crop, with between 2.5 and 3.2 million kilograms of alfalfa seed being used in Canada annually (2019-2023) [1]. Alfalfa seed is a perennial crop that is primarily produced in North America and southern Alberta is critical production area in Canada. Alfalfa seed faces multiple insect pest pressures and significant yield losses caused by alfalfa weevils (Hypera postica), alfalfa plant bugs (Adelphocoris lineolatus), and Lygus species (Lygus borealis, L. elisus, L. keltoni, L. lineolaris) [2,3]. In addition, there are other insect pests, including the alfalfa seed chalcid (Bruchophagus roddi), the alfalfa blotch leafminer (Agromyza frontella), the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), and the spotted alfalfa aphid (Therioaphis maculata). The insect pests in alfalfa seed have differences in their pheonology, with different life stages causing more damage than others and differences in their seasonal abundance. 

Alfalfa forage production can be managed effectively with cutting and harvest times [4], but seed production depends on insecticides for control of insect pests and on alfalfa leafcutter bees for pollination. Given the multiple pests influencing this system, there are many questions surrounding which pests are of concern, at what times, and how to balance the protection of beneficial insects and optimal pest management. Previous work on insect pest abundances in alfalfa seed in southern Alberta highlight annual variation and the need to examine the effects of environmental conditions on pests [5]. Alfalfa weevil is considered a critical pest in alfalfa seed that has shown resistance to insecticides, with a need to use an integrated pest management approach [2,6-8]. Lygus species have been found to vary in alfalfa seed [5], likely due to the multitide of plants it feeds on and the movement between different hosts with changes to resource availabiltiy [9-11]. Alfalfa plant bug has been a problem in the Canadian Prairies for decades [12], though the seasonal development and distribution of A. lineolatus remains poorly understood [13] and previous work suggests the number of generations of alfalfa plant bug could be increasing [5].