176 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The newly hatched larva has but one way of entering the ovary 

 of a flower, namely, by squeezing in between the unopened petals. 

 Once inside the flower bud the maggot sucks or absorbs the fluid 

 contents of the ovary, destroying the ovule or ovules. An affected 

 floret presents externally a healthy appearance though the petals 

 rarely expand. They remain fresh and pink until the maggot leaves 

 the bud and eventually fade and wither without opening. The 

 larvae when full grown may simply drop from the head or, when 

 moisture is abundant, may wriggle their way down the stem of the 

 plant. The larvae, although full grown, may not emerge if the 

 air is too dry. Dryness causes them, even when on the ground, 

 to squeeze themselves into crevices in the soil and to contract the 

 body and become motionless as if for pupation ; even then moisture 

 will repeatedly revive them to a condition of wriggling activity. 

 The duration of the pupa stage is prolonged by dryness and 

 shortened by moisture. An extended dry spell kills both larvae and 

 pupae. Continued dry weather may delay the appearance of flies 

 as much as two weeks though they may be expected to emerge 

 after a timely rain. 



Natural enemies. Two undetermined Chalcids belonging to the 

 genus Tetrastichus were reared by Doctor Folsom from this insect. 

 They are possibly the same as those mentioned by Webster as 

 having been reared from both larvae and pupae obtained about 

 Lincoln, Neb. Sanderson reared in Delaware, from the larvae of 

 the seed midge, in October 1899 ^^^ June 1900, parasites determined 

 by Ashmead as Tetrastichus carinatus Forbes and a 

 Torymus. Another parasite is Anopedias error Fitch, 

 family Platygasteridae, a minute, black species Avhich has received 

 little mention since Comstock reported upon it in 1880. The 

 common flower bug, Triphleps insidiosus Say, is, ac- 

 cording to Doctor Folsom, an efficient enemy of this insect. He 

 repeatedly found a nymph or an adult of this bug with its beak 

 thrust into a larva or fly of this pest. 



Several parasites were reared by us from the various collections 

 of clover heads infested by this midge, namely, Telenomus 

 p o d i s i ■ Ashm., Polynema striaticornis Girault, 

 Decatoma sp. and Polygnotus sp. 



Control. This species can be best controlled by cutting the first 

 crop of clover as early as possible in order to secure a good seed 

 crop at the expense of a slight reduction in the hay crop. This 

 early cutting results in drying up the food plant and the undeveloped 



