June, ’24] 
wehrle: pear midge notes 
411 
wide and pi" long are bound on opposite one another with an ad¬ 
hesive tape having only one side treated. A portion of these protruding 
ends are bent at a right angle towards the glass tip and adjusted so that 
the lower strip will grip the caterpillar slightly ahead of the anal prolegs. 
The upper strip is not used except in cases when the lower one is not 
holding well. An elastic band is slipped around these holders after the 
caterpillar is arranged and the upper strip bent upward enough so it does 
not interfere. These tips are placed in the clips in the oven and the 
drying proceeds. Extra tips should be provided so that a specimen can 
be prepared while the others are in the oven. 
This device has relieved much of the monotony of this work and 
greatly increased the quality as well as the quantity of the specimens. 
An operator with a little experience can easily inflate fifty large larvae 
the size of full grown gipsy moth larvae in a day and many more than 
that if the larvae are smaller or thin skinned. 
The air pressure should not exceed 15 pounds and 10 pounds is better. 
Over 15 extends the specimen too much and gives it an unnatural ap¬ 
pearance. The larvae were placed in a cyanide bottle for a few minutes 
before they were rolled and inflated. 
First stage larvae bothered considerably at first as they were so 
small it was difficult to get a point fine enough to inflate them. It was 
found that by placing these small larvae on the top of the oven and 
keeping them moving, in a short time the air within the body would ex¬ 
pand and cause them to “pop.” These “popped” specimens were then 
mounted on card points. A few of these will “pop” through the side and 
spoil the specimen. 
The cost of this device was a little less than twenty dollars (prewar 
prices) and will soon pay for itself in the greater number of specimens 
inflated. 
NOTES ON THE PEAR MIDGE (CONTARINIA PYRIVORA ). 
By Lawrence Paul Wehrle 
During the summer of 1922, while engaged in a study of the pear 
midge (Contarinia pyrivora Riley) the writer made some observations 
which it seems desirable to record at this time. 
The pear midge first attracted special attention in Connecticut in 
1884 and seems to have been introduced on pear stocks from France in 
1877. Although this insect was probably described by Meigen as 
Diplosis nigra the type specimens had been lost and Riley in 1885 
