Frit Fly vs Biting Midge (No-See-Um)
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Frit Fly | Biting Midge (No-See-Um) |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Oscinella frit | Culicoides imicola |
| Order | Diptera | Diptera |
| Family | Chloropidae | Ceratopogonidae |
| Size | 1.5-2 mm | 1-3 mm |
| Habitat | Farmland | Underground |
| Diet | Herbivores | Blood Feeders |
| Regions | Europe, temperate worldwide | Africa, Middle East, southern Europe, Asia |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Frit Fly
A tiny fly that is a major pest of oat crops and ryegrass. Larvae bore into plant stems causing 'dead heart'. Named from the Swedish word for grain. Multiple generations per year.
Did You Know?
Despite being only 1.5mm long, it can destroy entire crops of oats by killing the growing shoot inside each stem.
Biting Midge (No-See-Um)
A tiny biting midge that is the primary Old World vector of bluetongue virus and African horse sickness virus. It breeds in moist, organically enriched soil and is crepuscular, biting at dawn and dusk. Its northward spread into Europe has introduced bluetongue to previously unaffected areas.
Did You Know?
Climate change has allowed this midge to expand northward into Europe, bringing bluetongue disease to countries that had never experienced it.