A simple head cage technique for monitoring sorghum midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

A head cage technique for monitoring sorghum midge populations was developed at the ICRISAT Asia Centre, India. This technique is a variant of the type previously described for screening sorghum genotypes for midge resistance. The technique was effective and efficient in collecting adult midges from flowering sorghum panicles under field conditions. Adult midge flies emerged over 2- 3 weeks during the 1992/93 post-rainy and 1- 2 weeks during the 1993 rainy seasons. Sorghum midge activity (density) was higher during the rainy than during the post-rainy season.