Which insect migrates from maturing wheat fields to suck plant juice from seedling corn?

Which insect migrates from maturing wheat fields to suck plant juice from seedling corn?

• A. corn rootworm
• B. black cutworm
• C. white grubs
• D. chinch bugs

Answer: (D)

Chinch bugs are sap-sucking pests that move from maturing cereal crops, especially wheat, into nearby seedling corn. They feed by piercing plant tissue and removing sap, which causes yellowing, wilting, and stunted growth in young corn — exactly the damage pattern you’d expect when these bugs migrate into newly emerged corn stands. This combination of host-to-host movement from wheat to corn and feeding style (piercing-sucking) makes chinch bugs the best match among the options. The other insects fit different feeding habits or life cycles: some attack roots (corn rootworm, white grubs) rather than seedlings by sucking, and black cutworms damage seedlings by chewing and cutting them rather than feeding by sap-sucking.

Chinch bugs are sap-sucking pests that move from maturing cereal crops, especially wheat, into nearby seedling corn. They feed by piercing plant tissue and removing sap, which causes yellowing, wilting, and stunted growth in young corn — exactly the damage pattern you’d expect when these bugs migrate into newly emerged corn stands. This combination of host-to-host movement from wheat to corn and feeding style (piercing-sucking) makes chinch bugs the best match among the options. The other insects fit different feeding habits or life cycles: some attack roots (corn rootworm, white grubs) rather than seedlings by sucking, and black cutworms damage seedlings by chewing and cutting them rather than feeding by sap-sucking.