How to Manage Pests
UC Pest Management Guidelines
Small Grains
Wheat Stem Maggot
Scientific name: Meromyza americana
(Reviewed 2/07,
updated 2/07)
In this Guideline:
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PEST
The wheat stem maggot larva is as drab as the adult is colorful.
Mature larvae are about 0.25 inch in length and are pale green or cream
colored; they are a typical legless maggot and are generally found inside the
stem. The adult is a small, yellowish white fly with bright green eyes and
three black stripes across the thorax and abdomen.
DAMAGE
Injury caused by the wheat stem maggot is obvious but usually not
serious. Eggs are laid in September and October and hatch later in fall. The
young maggots overwinter. When development resumes in spring, damage is caused
by maggots feeding in the upper portion of the stem, which cuts off nutrient
flow and the heads turn a whitish color. These white heads may
be distinguished from those caused by wireworms or root rot by pulling on them.
Stems damaged by
stem maggots easily pull free where it has been chewed and slides out of the
leaf sheath. Infested plants also have fewer tillers than healthy ones.
MANAGEMENT
Injury in California is minimal and chemical controls are not recommended.
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UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Small Grains
UC ANR Publication 3466
Insects and Mites
C. G. Summers, Entomology, UC Davis/Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier
L. D. Godfrey, Entomology, UC Davis
Acknowledgment for contributions to the insect and mite section:
D. Gonzalez, Entomology, UC Riverside
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