Heavily infested crops have a droughty appearance, or a yellowish to bronzed discoloration. Brown wheat mite is similar in size to Banks grass mite, but is dark brown and has much longer front legs. On warm, calm days brown wheat mites may be found on leaves, otherwise they can be found under soil or surface debris. Both red and white eggs are placed on soil particles adjacent to wheat plants. Brown wheat mite generally does not require treatment in the fall, but fields where fall activity is observed should be watched closely next spring.
Grasshoppers also attack wheat growing in field margins.
Losses are usually limited to the outer rows, but can be more severe in abundant grasshopper years. This has not been much of a problem in Colorado for the past decade or so, but some problems are expected this year. According to a North Dakota State University classification, grasshopper infestations in small grains are not considered severe until populations densities exceed 15 adult grasshoppers per square yard. These aphids are generally not considered a major fall pest of wheat in Colorado. Management options, apart from volunteer control, are limited to planting-time and foliar insecticide applications.