1914] Melon Fly, Dacus cucurbitae. 199 
tive reaction to gravity is common with many insects after 
emerging from the egg or pupa. 
As there was a possibility that the melon flies might have 
been hindered by being against the glass, holes two and three 
feet deep were drilled in hard soil with a fence-post borer. At 
the bottom of these holes 500 puparia were placed. The pupa- 
ria were then covered with sterlized dry or wet sand or soil. 
After these pits were filled each hole was covered at the surface 
with a large mouthed jar which rested tightly against the solid 
earth. The following table shows the number of melon flies 
which succeeded in boring through two and three feet of sand 
or soil: 
TABLE IX. 
‘NUMBER OF DACUS CUCURBITZ WHICH BURROWED THROUGH TWO AND THREE FEET 
OF SAND OR SOIL. 


Number of feet puparia were buried........... 2 3 
Number of puparia buried in each hole........ 500 500 
Number of flies that bored through dry sand.. 34 2 
Number of flies that bored through wet sand.. 8 0 
Number of flies that bored through soil....... 5 0 

It is evident from this table that a larger number of melon 
flies were able to bore through dry sand than wet sand, and that 
very few specimens succeeded in making their way through the 
more lumpy soil. 
Burying infested cucurbits and the vines in three feet of 
soil would require a considerable amount of labor. Lime, 
which is often thrown into the garbage-can to destroy the larve 
of the house fly and blue bottle fly, would probably destroy the 
melon fly maggots if it was buried in sufficient quantity with 
the infested vegetables, but this method would increase the 
cost. 
In an experiment melon fly maggots were submerged in 
fresh water for a period varying from two to four days, in order 
to determine whether such larve would pupate and give rise 
to flies. Larvze were selected which had bored out of a pumpkin 
and were ready to pupate. These maggots were submerged 
in seven inches of distilled water which was renewed daily. 
After remaining in the water for two, three or four days, the 
larvee were transferred to filter paper and after pupation, the 
puparia were placed in moist sand in a breeding jar. The 
following table indicates the results obtained. 
