Weekly Update (May 25, 2017; Wk 04) - Wheat midge

Wheat Midge (Sitodiplosis mosellana) – Predictive modelling will be used again to help  forecast wheat midge emergence across the Canadian prairies.  The maps below predicts the geographic distribution and corresponding accumulation of heat units necessary for wheat midge to emerge from puparia developing in the soil.  

For the week of May 24, 2017, soil moisture and temperature conditions appear to be conducive for wheat midge development. The wheat midge model indicates that wheat midge larvae should be moving to the soil surface by the end of May. 

Reminder - Back in January, the 2017 Wheat midge forecast map was released along with the other Risk and Forecast maps. It's posted again below for reference.

Information related to wheat midge biology and monitoring can be accessed by linking to your provincial fact sheet (Saskatchewan Agriculture or Alberta Agriculture & Forestry).  A review of wheat midge on the Canadian prairies was published by Elliott, Olfert, and Hartley in 2011.

More information about Wheat midge can be found by accessing the pages from the new "Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada: Identification and Field Guide".  View ONLY the Wheat midge pages but remember the guide is available as a free downloadable document as both an English-enhanced or French-enhanced version.