August, '13] SEVERIN: TRAPPING MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY 349 



was not put under a severe experimental test by the efrttimologists- 

 before recommending and even forcing the people to use this method. 



In Western Australia, Jefferson (1907, p. 162) was the first to report 

 that "some good results have recently been obtained by using kerosene 

 to attract and kill the flies." 



During the same year. Compere and Newman (1907, p. 245) both 

 of Western Australia, carried on an experiment with kerosene to trap 

 the Mediterranean fruit fly. A vessel containing kerosene was placed 

 in the forks of a tree and " 18 hours later Newman removed and counted 

 124 fruit flies." No mention, however, was made of the percentage 

 of male and female specimens taken. ^^ Female flies removed from the 

 oil showed upon examination to be fertile, being yet full of eggs." 

 It was probably this last statement that influenced some entomologists 

 to take it for granted that many female flies were attracted to the 

 kerosene. This is shown through the interpretation of the above 

 results by Quinn (1907, p. 12) of South Australia w^ho writes as follows : 

 ''It is significant to note that many of these were females, containing 

 large numbers of undeposited eggs, showing that the attractiveness 

 of the kerosene took precedence over the instinct of egg deposition." 



Hooper (1907, p. 696) also of Western Australia issued the follow- 

 ing instructions in 1907, to all orchardists and those people who 

 happened to have one or two trees, and these directions were to be 

 enforced that year: "All fallen fruit throughout the orchard must be 

 gathered daily, and all maggoty fruit destroyed by burning or boiling. 

 In addition to these precautions, throughout the summer shallow vessels 

 partly filled twice a week with kerosene must be placed one or more in 

 each tree in the orchard, and shall be kept in or removed to such trees 

 as an inspector may from time to time require." 



In his "instructions to fruit growers" he also mentioned that "last 

 season, in one orchard, 1,268 flies W'Cre destroyed by means of kerosene 

 in 24 hours," but the ratio of males to females captured was not 

 given. 



Hooper (1909, p. 271) writes as follows concerning the results ob- 

 tained by enforcing the fruit fly regulations during the preceding year: 

 "This year we are very free of the fruit fly compared with previous 

 years; this I put down principally to the compulsory use of kerosene 

 last autumn, and the clearing up and destruction of maggoty fruit." 

 In this same article he again recommends the use of kerosene to con- 

 trol the pest and enters into a discussion of the troubles experienced 

 by the inspectors in compelling the fruit growers to hang tins of kero- 

 sene in the trees. He also states that "the trifling cost of kerosene 

 and the little amount of extra labor are covered over and over again 

 by the value of the fruit saved." 



