The bird cherry-oat aphid (BCOA), Rhopalosiphum padi (L.), is a worldwide pest of wheat and other small grains. This paper provides an overview of BCOA life history, reviews its pest status in wheat, synthesizes and integrates information on different management strategies, and gives up-to-date information and literature references for those involved in wheat production. A review of the literature not only reinforces that BCOA is the prominent vector of Barley yellow dwarf viruses and Cereal yellow dwarf virus throughout many wheat-growing regions of the world, but also notes multiple studies that demonstrate its pest status due to direct feeding and yield loss.  Insecticides remain the primary tactic for managing BCOA and limiting the spread of yellow dwarf viruses (YDV), although a delay in planting winter wheat has been effective in limiting BCOA and YDV in many different regions. Other management strategies against BCOA are still largely being developed, and these alternative tactics are reviewed in terms of their ability to limit BCOA infestation and also reduce YDV incidence. This paper also briefly reviews the development of sampling plans for BCOA and forecast models for YDV in wheat that are based on BCOA population dynamics, and it discusses ways in which they are being used to optimize pest management strategies and integrate various tactics across farm, landscape, and regional scales.