Damage Caused by Wheat Sawflies to Wheat and How to Control Them

The wheat sawfly is a common pest during the growth of wheat, and the damage it causes to wheat growth is very great. If it is not controlled in time, it can eat the entire tip of the leaf, affecting photosynthesis. Below, let us take a look at what damage wheat sawflies cause to wheat and how to control them.

I. Living Habits of the Wheat Sawfly

Because wheat is a crop planted more widely in the north, wheat sawflies appear more often in the north, and generally have one generation per year. The pupae of the wheat sawfly overwinter underground, and when the temperature gradually rises, they begin to break out of the pupae and the adults emerge. After mating, they use their saw-like ovipositors to cut a slit in the back of wheat leaves and lay eggs. Their egg-laying and leaf-sawing actions are synchronized, so the eggs are basically laid in strings. The egg stage of the wheat sawfly is about ten days, and the larvae can be divided into five stages. Larvae of the same age cause the most damage from April to May each year. By mid-to-late May, the mature larvae burrow underground and become a soil cocoon, safely spending the summer. When the weather turns cool in October, they begin to repeat the process of pupating and overwintering.

It is understood that the wheat sawfly is also a very cunning insect. They play dead, and when they encounter wind or vibration, they drop down on their own and curl up together. After about a quarter of an hour, they crawl back onto the wheat plants to feed.

The appearance of the wheat sawfly is very closely related to the weather. If the winter temperature is not low and the soil is moist, it is favorable for the pupae to overwinter; if spring warms up relatively early, the soil has sufficient moisture, and the weather during the adult emergence period is relatively mild, this is beneficial for their emergence.

II. What Damage Do Wheat Sawflies Cause to Wheat?

The damage-causing habit of wheat sawfly larvae is green-tropism. Wheat sawflies occur more seriously in wheat fields with good water and fertilizer conditions and dense growth, which we also call first-class wheat fields, followed by second-class wheat fields, third-class fields, and wheat-cotton intercropping plots, where the occurrence is lighter.

Wheat sawflies cause the most serious damage in April and May, especially in densely planted wheat plots or irrigated land, where there are more insects. Wheat sawflies mainly use their larvae to eat the leaf parts of wheat, starting from the leaf tips and leaf edges, until the wheat leaves are completely eaten, leaving only the main veins. The mature larvae of the wheat sawfly burrow into the root and stem base of wheat and begin feeding from there, until the stems are bitten off or only a thin layer of cortex remains. In this way, the wheat becomes too weak to withstand wind and breaks immediately.

III. How to Control Wheat Sawflies?

1. Before planting wheat, deep plowing must be done well. This helps turn out the dormant wheat sawfly larvae in the soil so that they cannot become pupae and will naturally die, and will no longer be able to harm wheat. In some places, water-dryland rotation or rice-wheat rotation can also be carried out, which is very effective for controlling wheat sawflies.

2. Go to the farmers' market to get professional pesticides for spraying, which generally has a relatively good effect.

3. Directly make use of their death-feigning characteristic to carry out manual capture and killing.