Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2012
The clover seed midge, Dasyneura leguminicola (Lint.), is one of the most important pests in red clbver seed fields in Ontario wherever the double-cut varieties are grown. The larvae feed within the clover florets, destroying the ovaries; if numerous, they prevent many fields from producing seed crops worth harvesting. In 1951 and 1952 and to a lesser degree in 1953, severe damage occurred in seed fields in eastern Ontario (Guppy, 1958); since then populations of the insect have gradually declined. British Columbia, Quebec, and New Brunswick are the only other provinces in Canada from which damage has been reported. However, the insect probably occurs wherever red clover is found in Canada.