BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 247 



Mediterranean fruit i'l-y and melon ely. — The control, under the 

 Mediterranean fiuit-fly and niclon-fly ((uarantine, of fruits and vege- 

 tables shipped from the Hawaiian Islands to the mainland of the 

 United States is a continuing operation conducted in cooperation 

 with the Federal Horticultural Board. New regulations have been 

 issued during the year simplifying the control of the movement of 

 Hawaiian fruits and vegetables and giving somewhat greater lati- 

 tude of movement. 



The biological and research side of this work has been limited 

 largely to a study of introduced parasites to determine the conditions 

 under which the}^ can bo best distributed and maintained. Some of 

 the results of this biological study are very interesting and have an 

 important bearing on the general problem of control of insects by 

 parasites, and are particularly useful as indicating the desirability 

 of strict control of the importation of parasites that individually 

 ma}^ be classed as useful but that when combined may be detrimental 

 to one another. In the case of the fruit flv it was found that two 

 parasites, each one of which was very useful by itself, were in a 

 measure mutually antagonistic, and the combined work of both was 

 proving less effective than the individual work of the otherwise more 

 efficient one of the two. 



BEE-CULTURE INVESTIGATIONS. 



Under the direction of Dr. E. F. Phillips, the work in bee culture 

 during the past fiscal year has been a continuation of the lines of 

 investigation previously instituted, with the important addition of 

 extension Avork on this subject. As in previous years, the investiga- 

 tional work has been conducted at the branch laJboratory and apiary 

 at Drummond, Md. 



Demonstrations in bee culture. — The appropriation for the past 

 fiscal year for this office authorized for the first time extension work 

 in beekeeping, and this work w^as begun. One specialist was ap- 

 pointed to cooperate with the Office of Extension Work South, States 

 Relations Service, and he has visited during the year a number of 

 Southern States to attend meetings of county agents and special meet- 

 ings of beekeepers arranged by the various State extension directors. 

 Without exception the interest manifested at these meetings exceeded 

 the original expectations, and the calls for this specialist greatly ex- 

 ceed the time at his disposal. 



A specialist in beekeeping was assigned to North Carolina to work 

 in cooperation with the State Extension Division. As a result of his 

 labors an association of the beekeepers of the State has been formed. 

 He has cooperated with the county agents in holding meetings and 

 demonstrations in the apiaries, and the outlook for a great increase 

 in the importance of beekeeping in the State is good. The work w^as 

 discontinued temporarily on account of the resignation of the special- 

 ist, but another specialist has been appointed and the work is pro- 

 gressing satisfactorily. During the year a report on North Carolina 

 beekeeping (Department Bulletin No. 489) was published, giving the 

 results of preliminary work in 1915. 



Another specialist to work in cooperation with the State Extension 

 Division was assigned to Tennessee. In general his work has been 



