46 
To get rid of the worst of the seed insects, pasture or clip back in 
May or early June ; or else cut the hay as soon as possible — as soon as 
it is fresh in bloom, or earlier. 
Cut red clover, or pasture it lightly, in the latter part of the first 
season, as this goes far to reduce the number of insect pests in the 
same field the second year, and does not injure the clover if done 
intelligently. Destroy volunteer clover, which is a rich nursery for all 
kinds of clover insects. It can be cut most conveniently with the rest 
of the clover — twice a year. 
Do not permit red clover to run for more than two years in this 
region, where it is, for agricultural purposes, a biennial. 
Clover Seed-midge 
Dasyncnra leguminicola Lint. 
(Cccidomyia leguminicola) 
This widely distributed pest, abundant in clover fields, prevents 
the formation of seed. At the time of blossoming, the florets afifected 
by this insect remain for the most part green and undeveloped, and 
their ovaries are hollowed out and empty, or else contain each a small 
orange, pink, or whitish maggot. Having entered the flower-bud, the 
maggot consumes the fluid contents of the ovary before the bud has a 
chance to open. Hence the term hud-midge would be even more ap- 
propriate for this insect than that of Hozver-midge — recently proposed 
by Webster. 
The maggots develop into delicate little red-bodied flies, which are 
so small as easily to escape observation, altho they are very abundant 
in clover fields at certain periods of the year. 
Distribution. — The clover seed-midge has been reported as de- 
structive in Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 
the District of Columbia, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Wis- 
consin, and Nebraska, and doubtless occurs in other states in which 
clovers are grown. It does great damage in the province of Ontario, 
Canada, and, according to Miss Ormerod, is also found in England. 
In Illinois, the pest was observed as long ago as 1878 or 1879 (Fif- 
teenth Rep. State Ent. 111., p. 3). 
Food Plants. — The chief food plant of the species is red clover, 
but white clover also is afifected. The published statement that alsike 
clover is exempt from attack is incorrect, the writer having reared the 
midge from alsike. This clover is not badly infested, however, proba- 
bly because it forms its heads three weeks later than red clover, at a 
time when there are but few seed-midges on the wing. For the same 
reason mammoth clover ought to escape severe attack, and such is said 
by one writer to be the case (Insect Life, Vol. V., p. 74). An implica- 
tion to the contrary, however, is found in another publication (Bull. 
116, !Mich. Agr. Exper. Station, p. 55). I have had no personal experi- 
ence with the midge on mammoth clover, but would point out the pos- 
