302 Journal of Agriculture. [8 May, 1907. 



'• Early in 1890, an article appeared in a publication known as Insect 

 Life where the fly was described and figured as a peach pest in the Ber- 

 mudas. It was said to attack green and half-ripe peaches and mandarins 

 most, and one correspondent reported that the larger oranges were not 

 attacked. 



•' In 1892, J. H. Cook gave an account of the Orange Fruit Fly, in 

 Malta. He stated that the whole of the oranges had been destroyed during 

 the last two years by this maggot, and that a Commission had been appointed 

 bv the Governor to report on the best means of checking this pest. In 

 the following vear a pamphlet was published in the Mediterranean Natu- 

 ralist by Professor N. Tagliaferro at the expense of the Agricultural 

 Society of Malta to give the orange growers a popular account of the fly. 

 He advised them to ' smear a. few oranges on each tree with honey, so 

 that the adult fly would in gathering round them be caught and destroyed.' " 



Miss Ormerod in Notes and Descriptions on a few injurious Farm and 

 Fruit Insects in Soutli Africa records Halterofhora cafitata as one of the 

 serious pests of the fruit-growers in South Africa. 



In Malta, as has already been stated, we are informed that the 

 Mediterranean fly does great damage to the orange crops, and according to 

 the Revd. Mr. Henslow, its attacks appear to be confined to oranges only. 



In a late number of the Agricultural Journal of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, Mr. Lounsbury gives an account of how the trees are netted to 

 protect the fruit from these flies. But unless fruit is much more valu- 

 able than it is at present in New South Wales, it would not pay to treat 

 the trees in this manner, as he says it costs about 3s. per tree to protect 

 them b\- this process from the flies. 



Mr. Fuller, formerly an Australian, but how Government Entomologist 

 of Natal, gives the following account of the habits of this insect, as 

 observed bv him, and which was for some time known to us in Victoria as 

 tne West Australian Fruit Fly: — "The eggs are laid in the fruit by the 

 female fly, and the larvse are soon hatched from them and commence feed- 

 ing. When thev are full grown the maggots leave the fruit and enter the 

 soil to pupate, that is to change into the last stage prior to their emergence 

 from the soil as perfect insects, and great numl)ers are carried to the ground 

 bv the falling fruit. After having rested in the soil as pupae for about 

 twelve days the flies hatch and make their wa\ to the surface and continue 

 their destructive work." 



The following is an account of some experiments, dealing with the 

 Mediterranean fly, which were carried out bv the Assistant Entomologist 

 (Mr. C. French, jun.) and myself during 1906. The results of similar 

 experiments made by Inspector Farrell at my recjuest are also given. 



The larvae of this fly were found in bananas imported from Queensland 

 on the 14th August, and on being placed in the breeding jars pupated on the 

 20th August ; the perfect insects emerged on the 4th October and lived 

 for several w'eeks, water, with a little sugar added, being the food placed 

 at their disposal. Larvae were detected in oranges from Marvborough 

 (Queensland) on the 19th September, and pupated on the 24th September; 

 the perfect insects commenced to emerge on the 26th October, and continued 

 emerging till the 30th. On the 2nd Noivember several cases of Seville 

 oranges were sent from Sydney. These were badly infested with larvae 

 of the Mediterranean fruit fly ; on being placed in the breeding jars they 

 pupated on the 6th November, and the perfect insects were hatched out 

 on the 3rd December. No less than 60 flies were hatched from two Seville 



