Orange Wheat Blossom Midge vs Large White

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Orange Wheat Blossom Midge Large White
Scientific Name Sitodiplosis mosellana Pieris brassicae
Order Diptera Lepidoptera
Family Cecidomyiidae Pieridae
Size 2-3 mm 58-63 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Gall Makers Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, North America, Asia Europe, Asia, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Orange Wheat Blossom Midge

A small orange-colored gall midge that lays eggs in wheat flowers. Its bright orange larvae feed on developing wheat grains, causing significant yield losses in cereal crops.

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Did You Know?

Larvae can enter diapause in the soil for over a decade, emerging years later when conditions are favorable.

Large White

A common white butterfly with black wingtips and one or two black spots on the forewing. Its green-yellow caterpillars are a major agricultural pest of brassica crops.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillars sequester mustard oils from their food plants and can spray these noxious chemicals at attacking predators.