REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST igi2 



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 F ^ g IT Section of 

 being about one-half larger than the normal beurre bosc pear 

 pears and decidedly more globular. Mr Thomas s id e W1 pistils V (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 



