Hessian fly

American  

noun

1. a small fly, Phytophaga destructor, the larvae of which feed on the stems of wheat and other grasses.

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Hessian fly British  

noun

1. a small dipterous fly, Mayetiola destructor, whose larvae damage wheat, barley, and rye: family Cecidomyidae (gall midges)

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Etymology

Origin of Hessian fly

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

It also shows resistance traits to more than half a dozen common insect pests, including the Hessian fly.

From The Guardian • Jul. 6, 2018

Poland says the latest round of Hessian fly experiments, completed in early April, affirmed KSU’s plan to incorporate the tough survivors of the fly onslaught into the breeding of commercial American wheat varieties.

From The Guardian • Jul. 6, 2018

Resistance in Aegilops squarrosa to wheat leaf rust, wheat powdery mildew, greenbug, and Hessian fly.

From Nature • Nov. 14, 2017

Wheat bred by man for resistance to the Hessian fly has held its own for some 30 years, even though the fly has gone through eight evolutionary changes in that period.

From Time Magazine Archive

“They don’t know what a chinch bug or a Hessian fly is up there.”

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck