Hessian Fly vs Pine Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hessian Fly Pine Weevil
Scientific Name Mayetiola destructor Hylobius abietis
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Cecidomyiidae Curculionidae
Size 2-4 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Gall Makers Wood Feeders
Regions Cosmopolitan - originally Eurasia, now worldwide Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Hessian Fly

A tiny dark gall midge that is one of the most destructive pests of wheat and barley worldwide. Adults resemble small dark mosquitoes and live for only a few days.

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Did You Know?

Named after Hessian soldiers in the American Revolution who supposedly brought it to North America in straw bedding.

Pine Weevil

A dark brown weevil with patches of golden scales that is a major pest of young conifer plantations. Adults girdle the bark of seedlings, killing them.

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Did You Know?

A single adult can kill multiple young conifer trees in one season by stripping rings of bark from their stems.