Written collaboratively by Adam Varenhorst, Shelby Pritchard, Patrick Wagner, Philip Rozeboom and Bradley McManus.
Hessian flies are a pest of wheat in most of the production areas throughout the world (Ratcliffe and Hatchett 1997, Ratcliffe et al. 2000). There are numerous wild grass species as well as cultivated small grains (i.e., barley, rye, and wheat) that can serve as hosts for Hessian fly, which include barley, rye, and wheat (Harris et al. 2001). Of these cereal crops, wheat is the preferred host, followed by rye and barley, and is the most suitable for successful population growth (Harris et al. 2001, Chen et al. 2009). Although Hessian fly infestations are sporadic in South Dakota, there have been documented infestations that resulted in economic loss in recent years.
