Meanings
plural Hessian flies
- Mayetiola destructor, a species of fly that is a significant pest of cereal crops.
Synonyms: barley midge, wheat midge
Synonyms & antonyms
nounMayetiola destructor, a species of fly that is a significant pest of cereal crops.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsmall fly whose larvae damage wheat and other grains
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
The fly was thought to have been accidentally imported into North America by Hessian soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish hessisk galmyg
- hessisk galmygMayetiola destructor
Estonian viljasääsk
- viljasääskMayetiola destructor
Finnish hesseninsääski
- hesseninsääskiMayetiola destructor
Swedish korngallmygga, hessisk fluga
- korngallmyggaMayetiola destructor
- hessisk flugaMayetiola destructor
Cite this entry
Hessian fly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hessian%20fly
“Hessian fly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hessian%20fly. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hessian fly,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hessian%20fly.
Source: Hessian fly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.