The citrus blossom midge, Contarinia Citri Barnes (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), in Israel

The citrus blossom midge, Contarinia citri Barnes, was sampled in two lemon groves. Infestation lasted from December through April. Midge-infested blossoms were seldom concomitantly attacked by the citrus flower moth, Prays citri Mill. Some midge larvae completed their development in the laboratory, their numbers declining and the period required for pupation becoming shorter toward the end of the season. Very few parasitoids were obtained. It is suggested that C. citri and P. citri may be partially mutually-exclusive in lemon flowers, that the number of annual midge generations depends on the availability of blossoms, and that the midge may undergo a prolonged diapause in the soil.