A small insect that looks something like a mosquito, the Hessian fly first appeared on the scene in the wheat fields of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut in the late 1770s. Within a few days the pest deposits its larvae, which leave wheat stunted and so damaged that rainfall knocks over the shoots and leaves the crop ruined. Revolutionary Americans called the insect a "Hessian Fly" because, as one writer explained, they detested the German mercenaries fighting for the British--Hessians--and considered the word "the most opprobrious Term our Language affords."

Some people also argued that the Hessians brought the fly with them when they came to North America. Although the insect's exact origin remains unknown, in all likelihood it was accidently introduced into New York by the British, who shipped forage into the area from a variety of regions in Europe. Serious infestations continued into the 1790s, but by the end of that decade farmers started to follow a series of procedures, including crop rotation and later fall planting after the insects laid their eggs, so that the insect became less of a problem in the 19th century.

The British considered the threat of infestation from North America so serious that in August 1788 they banned the importation of all U.S. wheat to Great Britain. However, after the outbreak of the French Revolution (1789-99), the British government lifted the ban, fearing political upheaval from a dearth of bread.

Bibliography:

Philip J. Pauley, "Fighting the Hessian Fly: American and British Response to Insect Invasion, 1776-1789," Environmental History 7 (2002): 485-507.

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