Now is the time to get out and scout for wheat midge!
Wheat midge are small, orange, fragile-looking flies that attack members of the grass family including barley, couch grass, wheat grass, triticale, and spring rye, though their preferred host is wheat.
Adults emerge from mid-June through mid-July and typically coincide with wheat head development and flowering. Wheat midge remain in the humid crop canopy throughout the day and emerge on calm, warm evenings to mate and lay eggs. Eggs are laid singly or in groups of three to five on wheat kernels prior to flowering.