Wheat

Many times the infested plants do not die, but become stunted and produce little forage or grain. Damage on young plants is more severe than on large, healthy plants.

Winter grain mites have a dark brown to almost black body with conspicuous reddish-orange legs. Their front legs are longer than the others, but not as pronounced as on the brown wheat mite. They also have two tarsal claws on the end of each leg.

Historically, the Banks grass mite has been a serious pest of corn and sorghum, but it will migrate to fall-sown wheat when summer host plants, including many grass species, begin to dry down. Overwintering forms are bright orange and feed on plant crowns until spring when small, pearly white eggs are laid (visible in foreground of the above picture). These eggs give rise to sexual adults that are pale to bright green. Multiple generations occur throughout the summer.

Grasshoppers can damage wheat crops during eastablishment in the fall and in late spring during heading, or can damage corn anytime. Grasshoppers tend to be more problematic when field surroundings include weeds and grasses. Grasshoppers defoliate plants, making irregular-shaped holes and notches, and can clip entire leaves from the stem. In some cases, wheat heads will lodge over if feeding clips or severs the stem. 

Wireworms are larvae of click beetles. They resemble the larvae of false wireworms, but have shorter legs and antennae. Both are yellowish-brown, shiny and slender, with hard bodies and legs on the first three body segments behind the head. Wireworms feed primarily on planted seed, but they also injure small plants by burrowing into underground portions of the stem. Historically, problems occur when sorghum follows sod, but now problems are common in fields under continuous cultivation.

Brown wheat mites are metallic brown to black, which are just small enough to be visible. Their legs are orange, and their forelegs are distinctively longer than the other three pair of legs.

Brown wheat mite feeds on wheat in late fall and early spring, with a tendancy to feed on leaf tips, causing them to stipple, brown and die. Heavily infested fields present a scorched, withered appearance.

Wheat curl mites are white and cigar-shaped, but are microscopic  and not visible to the unaided eye. These mites overwinter in all life stages, and have a short life cycle of only 8-10 days at 77 F. Wheat curl mites feed deep in the curled leaves or whorls, which makes chemical control difficult.

Injury from leaf feeding causes no notable damage; however, these mites transmit wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) which yellows leaves and stunts leaves.

Bright green with long black legs and black cornicles. English grain aphid is more common late in the growing season, and prefers to feed on the awns and wheat heads, and can result in damaged and damaged kernals. English grain aphid feeding typically does not cause direct damage, but can have an economic impact indirectly, by transmitting the virus Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus.