First detected in Western Canada in 2016, the canola flower midge was the subject of a research project launched in Quebec in 2023. In collaboration with researchers from Western Canada, the study aimed to verify if the insect was also present in the province.
“By installing pheromone traps, the research team quickly confirmed the presence of the canola flower midge in Quebec,” says Sébastien Boquel, Ph.D., entomology researcher and lead investigator for the project at the Grain Research Centre (CÉROM).
The adults are tiny midges that emerge from the soil during the spring and summer. One of the main challenges surrounding this insect is that it closely resembles the swede midge, which initially complicated its identification. However, the project demonstrated that the pheromone traps are specific to each of the two species, making it possible to monitor their populations individually without any risk of confusion.
The research then shifted toward assessing potential field damage.
"Although we confirmed the presence of the canola flower midge in Quebec fields, no damage was observed on the plants. Unlike the swede midge, which attacks flower buds, the canola midge targets developing flowers where it creates tubular floral galls, and no such symptoms were detected in the fields studied," Boquel explains.
As a result, the impact of this pest is currently considered negligible, and its potential effect on yield remains unquantified. To explain these surprising results, one hypothesis is that the insect may be using canola as a secondary host and primarily targeting another non-cultivated plant, such as a weed. That said, its population dynamics, biology, and potential for damage will need to be studied in greater depth.
At this point, the canola flower midge remains an enigma. It is an enigma that is nonetheless worth understanding to ensure it does not one day become a very real problem.
