Larva infestation in Pink Moon Vine blossoms.

mistyblue22 Dunnellon, FL(Zone 8b) Aug 23, 2013

Does anyone have an idea what this larva is that is infesting my Pink Moon Vine blossoms. I haven't had even one of the hundreds of blossoms to open on any of my vines. Each blossom has one of these larva that is inside or has drilled it's way out. I have been unable to see the exiting so I have no idea what the next stage looks like. The larva is a ruddy red color though. There is only one per blossom and the blossoms fail to bloom after the larva eats the heart of it out. Also if anyone has any ideas how to deal with the problem without using something that would kill other insects that are good like bees and butterflies etc. I would appreciate the help. Image1 is a close up of the larva extracted from blossom. image2 is the larva inside of the blossom when I opened it. image3 is of a blossom that shows the entrance hole at the base and the exit hole at the top. Hope these help in the identification. Thanks.

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greene33 Vernonburg, GA Aug 23, 2013

It's a pupa. Larvae look like caterpillars. What is the size please?

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mistyblue22 Dunnellon, FL(Zone 8b) Oct 07, 2013

The larva is approx. 3/8" long and so is the crysalis of the morphed adult. It is some sort of Blossom Midge. I cut off several buds that were carrying larva and put them into a jar so that I could see the adult when it emerged. It is some kind of a Midge. It looks like a large mosquito. I have sent photos to the County Entemologist and they are going to get back to me after reviewing my photos. I need to know how to prevent them from getting into the buds in the first place. From what I have learned in my own researching of blossom midges, the female layes an egg on the exterior of the immature bud and it then hatches and a minute maggot then works it's way into the bud to the heart of it where it stays and feeds on the tender developing blossom until it reaches the age of metamorphosis where it drills through the bud and forms it's crysalis, then morphs into the adult and flies away. The weird thing is that my Pink Moon vines are right next to the White Moon vines and my Morning Glories and they weren't in any of those, just the Pink Moon vine. I am also sending 2 more images of the crysalis and the emerged adult.