THE MEDITEEEANEAN FKUIT-FLY. 9 



has materially increased. As already noted, its injuries to oranges 

 in the Mediterranean region, as well as in the Madeira Islands, the 

 Azores, etc., have largely interfered wit]i the successful culture of 

 these crops. Upon its introduction into South Africa it soon gained 

 a foothold, and became a pest of first-class importance, and its be- 

 havior since its establishment in Australia has been even more dis- 

 astrous to the fruit growers. Concerning its injuries in Cape Colony 

 Mr. Chas. P. Lounsbury, Government entomologist, writing in 1907, 

 says : 



From the horticultural staudpoliit, the peach maggot (Ccratitis capitata) 

 ranks first in importance among injurious insects of the past season. This 

 pest is always one which attracts much attention, and its ravages this year 

 have been greater than usual. It survives the winter as a mature insect and 

 becomes more and more numerous as the season advances, there being a succes- 

 sion of broods. December apricots were much infested this year, and in most 

 parts of the Western Provinces late peaches and nectarines were almost all 

 maggotty. Other deciduous fruits suffered to a lesser extent. At the date of 

 writing, infested guavas are not uncommon, and numei'ous flies may be found in 

 most orange groves; only a small percentage of the fruit of the orange, however, 

 is attacked in this vicinity. In the eastern parts of the colony the ravages of 

 the pest are more severe. Oranges are there more subject to it, and in some 

 groves most of the fruit is said to be spoiled. Late peaches are said to be 

 almost unobtainable, and I have myself seen nearly half the loquats on a large 

 tree in full bearing infested by this pernicious pest at Grahamstown. I.oquats, 

 however, do not seem to be generally attacked, and I have heard of no occurrence 

 of this kind in the western fruit-growing sections of the colony. The destruc- 

 tion of hifested fallen fruit is practised by some of the most enteiiirising fruit 

 growers. The utility of this course is questioned by some who have adopted it, 

 but from personal observation I am inclined to believe that the trouble lies in 

 lack of thoroughness ; too often a tree in some odd corner is not visite<l or some 

 worthless fruit is allowed to remain on the trees after the crop has been 

 gathered. 



In the Journal of Agriculture, May, 1897, Mr. C. French, then 

 Government entomologist of Victoria, states: 



This terrible scourge of the fruit grower is becoming but too familiar in 

 Victoria, larvae having been found in peaches, pears, quinces, apricots, plums, 

 nectarines, guavas, oranges, lemons, apples, citrons, loquats, mangoes, pump- 

 kins, bananas, tomatoes, pineapples and persimmons; so that it will easily be 

 seen that hardly any fruit can be said to be e.xempt from its attacks and of 

 all the fruit grower's enemies, the fruit-fiy is undoubtedly the worst. 



In Bulletin 22 of the New Zealand Department of Agriculture 

 (1909), Mr. T. W. Kirk, writing of the Mediterranean fruit -fly, 

 states : 



We have now had to burn consignments of the following fruits because they 

 were infested with this dreaded maggot : Peaches, apricots, nectarines, cherries, 

 pears, apples, mangoes, shaddocks, mammee-apples, pineapples, tomatoes, loquats, 

 persimmons. ])lums, mandarins, oranges, bananas, maupi fruit, grenadillas, figs. 



Should this pest ever become established here it will mean the ruin of the 

 stone-fruit industry of the North. It will be seen that practically all varieties 

 of fruit are attacked, and the measures taken to keep this fly out of New 

 Zealand can not be too severe. 



