10 



THE AGKICULTUEAL NEWS. 



jAxrAr.Y 1, 1916 



.Si 







If 



INSECT NOTES. 



THE MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY IN 

 BERMUDA. 



The United States Department <jt' Agriculture lias 

 issued a Circular (Xo. 161) under the heading given above. 

 Thi.s is an interesting account of the conditions relating to the 

 Fruit Fly in Bermuda, given by Dr. E. A. Back, as a result 

 of his investigation during a visit to that island in December 

 1913. 



The occurrence of this insect in Bermuda and the 

 measures adopted have been referred to in previous numbers 

 of this .Journal. It appears from Circular 161, as will be 

 seen from the 'Conclu.sion' which is reproduced below, that 

 there is no longer a fruit industry of Bermuda, and this is 

 .so, in spite of conditions which make eradicition of the pest 

 a not very difficult affair. 



Interest in the Mediterranean fruit fly in fiermuda to 

 residents in the Lesser Antilles li.es in the danger of this 

 insect being inlroduced from Bermuda to these islands. This 

 chance is not great since there is no importation of fruit 

 liable to be infested from Bermuda, but there is always 

 the danger that plant products may be collected as curiosities 

 by tourists while in Bermuda, and brought a.shore, say, in 

 St. Kitts, when the steamer is in that port. 



It should be borne in mind that the introduction of the 

 Mediterranean fruit tfy would in time result in a very 

 considerable reduction in the amount of locally produced 

 fruit, and any maggoty or wornr-infested fruits should be 

 regarded with suspicion, and steps taken to get an identifi- 

 cation of the insect concerned. 



The following is a list of tlie plants which were found 

 to furnish food and breeding opportunities for the fruit fly in 

 Bermuda: — ■ 



LIST or Fo(_lll ]'I,ANTS OF |.'|;UIT KLY IN liElSMUDA. 



A])ple Kamani (winged) 



Avocado Loquats 



Citrus Afango 



Coffee Papaya 



Eugenia I 'each 



Ciuava Sajiodilla 



Kamani (ball) Tluvetia 



CONCLUSION (riltcULAK .\o. 1). 



'The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceralitu cdpUaia, Wied., 

 was introduced into the Bermuda Islands probably about 

 186-5, when fruit supposedly infested by this pest was 

 unloaded there from a storm-tossed vessel from the 

 Mediterranean region. Since that time the fruit fly has 

 spread over the entire 191 square miles of rolling country of 

 which these i.slands are composed, and long since has ruined 

 the excellent peach industry enjoyed liy Bermuda in the 

 early days, and has caused such discourag<inent among 

 prospective fruit growers that at the present time native- 

 grown fruit in ISermuda is a luxury. 



'While Bernnida is probably at present a source of 

 comparatively little danger to the I'nited States as 

 a source of infestation by the Mediterranean fruit Hy, bo-h on 

 account of her trade relations and the climatic conditions 

 surrounding New Vork, the extermination of the pes'; in 

 these islands will be decidedly to the advantage of both 

 Bermuda and the I'nited States. • The topography is cut up 

 by harbours, lakes, and roads into small areas that can be 

 easily inspected; the tfpes and shrubs, the fruits of which are 

 subject to infestation, are surprisingly few numerically, and 

 a large portion of the uncultivated lauds supports little that 

 is subject to attack. 



■ 'E.xperience in all countries where clean cultural work 

 has been undertaken, but especially in the city of Honolulu, 

 has shown that no lasting beneficial results will follow .such 

 work as has been cirried on in Bermuda unless extermination 

 is the object in view. The value of the fruit grown in 

 Bermuda is not sufficient to warrant work being carried on 

 with any other object. In no country where the fly now 

 e.xisis could work of extermination be undertaken with such 

 assurances of success a, s in Bermuda. If clean cultural work 

 were supjiorted contmuously by adequate legislation and 

 undertaken by a ijer.spn sufficiently conversant with the 

 problem and eager ^ to make a unique record in the 

 entomological world, the jMediterranean fruit fi}- could be 

 exterminated from Bermuda wi'hin three years, without the 

 expenditure of a pruhibilive amount of money.' 



H.A.B. 



THE DIRECTOR OF THE IMPERIAL 

 BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 



Beference has .been made on several occasions in the 

 columns of the Agricultural Xews to the Imperial Bureau of 

 Entomology, which began operations as the Entomological 

 Besearch Committee. 



Under the able direction of Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall 

 this organization has made growth and accomplished a great 

 amount of good work. It may interest readers of this 

 Journal to know that (according to Nature, October iS, 191.5) 

 the University of Oxford has conferred on Mr. Marshall 

 the honorary degree of D.Sc. 



The l^ublic Orator in presenting .Mr. Marshall, spoke of 

 the great services rendereil by him to scientific entomology 

 during his residence in South Africa, mentioning in special 

 his work on Col(>optera and Lepidojitera. He also referred 

 in appreciative terms to the valuable researches being carried 

 on under Mr. MaishalFs direction in tlie recently established 

 Imperial Bureau of 'Entotuology. 



With furilier reference to the note which ap[)eared in 

 this .lonnial for December 4, on the subject of introihicing 

 the .Jack Spaniard into St. Lucia aiuKJrenada, it is interesting 

 to state that in St. Lucia the hatching out of the imported 

 specimens has been completed, and 1, -548 wa.sps have been 

 liberated. In Grenada the combs forwarded from St. Vincent 

 have been safely received, and it is expected that in due 

 course these will also hatch out satisfactorily. As mentioned 

 in the previous tiote, tlie few wasps which had at that time 

 started work in St. Lucia appeared to be remarkably ener- 

 getic in regard to their chief economic function, the control 

 of the cotton and., corn worms, and it looks as if the.se 

 introductions, luought about through the initiative of the 

 t 'ommissioner of Agriculture, will confer great benefit upon 

 the two islands concerned. 



