New knowledge on the sorghum midge, Stenodiplosis sorghicola Coquilett 1899 (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), in the south of France

Complete floret abortion on sorghum panicles due to sorghum midge (Stenodiplosis sorghicola) infestation was observed just after flowering onset in early August (2008) in fields near Montpellier (France). With the aim of controlling these infestations, mathematical models simulating the biological development of the insect as a function of temperature, which were developed in Texas (USA) and adapted to the climatic conditions in southern France, were used within the framework of an experimental research study on sorghum. The hypothesis put forward clearly accounts for the local dynamics of this insect. Entomophagous parasitoids (Aprostocetus spp) of sorghum midges were also found to be present