What To Do About Wheat Stem Sawfly?
By Denise Markle, Area Crop Protection Specialist, North Central Research Extension Center, NDSU Wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus) is native to North America, however it is still a very important insect pest, especially in western North Dakota and Montana. The sawfly infests spring, winter, and durum wheat. It not only causes reduced yield and quality, but also lodging which can make harvest difficult if not impossible. Female sawflies deposit their eggs directly into the wheat stem. The mature larvae cause damage by chewing a notch around the inside of the stem which often results in lodging. Current management practices for the sawfly are limited. Insecticide treatments are often ineffective because the egg and larva are protected in the stem. It is also difficult to reduce the adult sawfly population due to its extended emergence. Because each female lays eggs in multiple stems, and multiple females lay eggs in a single stem the adult population must be reduced at least 90% before
