The pupae are brown and oval-shaped. They are found in the soil, in cocoons smaller than canola seeds. Spreading from Quebec, where it was first detected in 1828, the orange wheat blossom midge is now found wherever wheat is grown in Canada, including Manitoba. This midge is typically found in wheat growing areas. This midge seems to prefer wheat.
Winter wheat is also a host.
However, it escapes serious damage if flowering occurs before the eggs are laid and if the kernels are fully-developed before the larvae can cause damage. The eggs must be laid before the half-flowering stage for the larvae to survive and damage the kernels. This is about the time when the wheat heads are emerging from the sheath and beginning to flower. The female midges move downwind above the crop and then drop into the crop canopy and backtrack against the wind to find suitable egg-laying sites. The eggs hatch in 4-7 days.