Clover Insects 



f593 



A large proportion of the larvae of the second brood leave the heads 

 and hibernate in the ground, but some of them remain in the 

 clover heads. There are two full generations annually in New 

 York and there is thought to be a partial third brood in some 

 years. 



Control. In case the grower desires to harvest a crop of seed 

 the hay crop should be cut rather early, by the middle of June. 

 This will destroy a large proportion of the first brood of the clover 

 blossom-midge and will cause the second crop' of clover to mature 

 earlier and thus be past the susceptible stage when the second 

 brood of flies appears during the last of July. Fortunately the 

 early cutting of the hay crop is a good practice for other reasons. 



THE CLOVER SEED-CATERPILLAR 



Enarmonia interstinctana Clemens 

 Another serious enemy of clover seed is a small dirty white 

 caterpillar that feeds in the flower-heads, the clover seed-cater- 

 pillar. (Fig. 664. ) This pest is 

 widely distributed in New York 

 State, is usually abundant and 

 occasionally very destructive. 

 The parent moths appear in our 

 fields during the latter part of 

 May, remaining on the wing for 

 about a month. The moth has an 

 expanse of about one-third inch. 

 The fore wings are brownish 

 in color and each has along its 

 front margin eight oblique silvery 

 white marks. On the posterior 

 margin are two nearly parallel 

 curved marks which, when the 

 wings are closed, form, with tho.se on the other side, two con- 

 spicuous silvery crescents. The female deposits her nearly cir- 

 cular, slightly flattened, greenish eggs on the green flower heads. 

 On hatching, the young caterpillar eats its way into the head 

 where it feeds upon the unopened flower buds and the tender 

 green seeds, usually spoiling the whole head. The full-grown 



Fig. G64. The Clover SEEn>-CATER- 

 PiLLAR. (a) Larva; (h) Pttpa; 

 ( c ) Moth ( enlarged ) : (d) 

 •Natural Size. 



{After Osborn) 



