REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST IQI2 97 
increasing numbers of this species correspond with the greater 
abundance of the forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma dis- 
stria Hubn. This latter insect, it may be recalled, was ex- 
tremely abundant and injurious about 1900 and reports received 
for the past season indicate that it is again becoming numerous. 
Palmer worm caterpillars appear to be somewhat resistant to 
arsenical poisons, though this may be explained in part possibly 
by their feeding upon leaves or portions of leaves likely to be 
missed when spraying. Furthermore, comparatively little of the 
insecticide adheres to the fruit, and once under the skin the cater- 
pillar has nothing to fear from poisons. There are good reasons 
for believing that thorough spraying with arsenate of lead for the 
control of the codling moth will at least prevent the Palmer 
worm from becoming sufficiently abundant to cause serious injury. 
Pear midge (Contarinia pyrivora 
Riley). This European pest became established 
in this country about 1877 and has been known 
as a pear enemy in the vicinity of Albany for 
a number of years. Its injuries are extremely 
local and usually confined to a small number of 
trees, as will be seen from the following record. 
An examination of a beurre bosc pear tree about 
three days after the blossoms had fallen re- 
sulted in finding young larvae at the base of the 
pistils or in adjacent cavities which they had 
excavated. The larvae were semitransparent 
and only about 1 mm long. The infested fruit 
could be easily distinguished at that time by its Fig rr Section of 
being about one-half larger than the normal beurre — bose pear 
: showing crevice be- 
pears and decidedly more globular. Mr Thomas sige pistils  (orig- 
Albright of West Coxsackie states that the inal) 
midge had seriously injured the fruit on this tree for a number of 
years and also had been more or less destructive on adjacent trees. 
The pear tree favored by the midge showed a large percentage, possi- 
bly 75, infested by the midge larvae. It is located near a fence and in 
sod, while others which were much less seriously affected were in 
cultivated land. It is possible that the lack of cultivation may be 
an important factor in enabling the midge larvae to hibernate success- 
fully. On May 27th the larger size and more globular shape (plate 
10, figures 1, 2) of the infested pears was still apparent though the 
fruit was beginning to be slightly lopsided, a development prior to its 


