240 TouRNAL New York Entomological Society. [Vol. xxii. 



RELATIVE ATTRACTIVENESS OF VEGETABLE, 



ANIMAL AND PETROLEUM OILS FOR THE 



MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY (CERA- 



TITIS CAPITATA WIED.). 



By Henry H. P. Severin and Harry C. Severin, 



Mariett.\, Ohio. 



Only a small amount of work has been done by entomologists to 

 determine the relative attractiveness of vegetable, animal and petro- 

 leum oils for the Mediterranean fruit fly. Hopper (1907, p. 395) of 

 Western Australia conducted an experiment in which four oils were 

 used to trap the ]\Iediterranean fruit fly. The oils were placed in 

 tins and an examination of the traps 24 hours later gave the follow- 

 ing results : " Turpentine : — 6 tins used, i fly in one, and all the rest 

 empty and dry. Benzine : — 8 tins used, one fly in one and 4 in another, 

 all tins dry. Naphtha : — 4 tins used, no flies caught, all tins dry. 

 Kerosene: — 6 tins used. 149 flies caught (every tin containing some), 

 all tins moist." Since in this experiment, all tins except those con- 

 taining kerosene were found dry and empty, one would naturally 

 expect that kerosene would attract the most fruit flies. 



Williams (1907, p. 697) also of Western Australia "carried on 

 an experiment with benzine, naphtha, turpentine, ammoniated tar 

 water, methylated spirits, etc., but in no instance did any of them 

 equal kerosene." 



Lounsbury (1908, p. 7) of South Africa tried to ascertain the rela- 

 tive attractiveness of kerosene, turpentine and water for the Mediter- 

 ranean fruit fly. His experiments were carried on with several hun- 

 dred fruit flies which were allowed to emerge from infested fruit 

 placed in a cage (2Xi/^Xi feet) and inside of which were the 

 oils and water. Within one hour, eleven fruit flies visited the turpen- 

 tine and in three and one half hours seven went to the kerosene and 

 seventeen went to the water. Lounsbury writes. Not unnaturally I 

 got the impression that the fruit flies, " mistook the oil for water and 

 were trapped in attempting to drink or to alight to drink.'' In ex- 

 periments HI and IV our results with kerosene, turpentine and water 

 are given under field conditions. 



