This insect is a parasite on the roots of wheat, other varieties of grains, and also grass. It is native to Central Turkey.
Historical Data
In Central Turkey until the mid-20 th century, it caused significant damage to the wheat crop (Duran 1971).The Turkish agricultural agencies did everything they could to eradicate the insects and eventually, were completely successful with insecticides. Porphyrophora tritici is now so rare that we could not find it, despite repeated searching expeditions in Central Anatolia .
Only in an agricultural research institute could we get a few specimens in alcohol that had been kept for about 40 years. The analysis of the insects revealed that they contain a substance with dye properties, namely, carminic acid. This is the same red dyestuff that is found in Ararat kermes and cochineal. A Turkish name for this parasite is Ekin cochineal, grain cochineal. This may indicate that the dye properties of the insect were once known. Among persons questioned in Central Anatolia in 1992, no one could remember any use of the insect for dyeing or recall their parents or grandparents having mentioned it. Almost all of them, however, knew that it had wreaked great damage to the wheat crop in 1960s.
