July, 1914.] THE APPLE MAGGOT. 5 



PAGE 



Egg-laying begins the first or second week of July, and pro- 

 ceeds until the latter part of September 50 



Adult females exhibit normally a tendency to remain in the 

 immediate locality where emergence took place. There 

 is no clear dispersion instinct. When attractive fruit 

 is not available the females are forced to disperse, but 

 apparently seldom travel more than 50 to 100 rods ... 54 



The adults are not noticeably attracted to such substances 

 as sugar or molasses that readily serve as lures for other 

 insects 57 



The duration of the egg stage is five to seven days 60 



A mellowness of the pulp is essential to the full development 

 of the larva. This condition is not reached normally 

 until a longer or shorter period after the fruit has fallen 61 



With apples of an early, soft type, one fourth of the larvae 

 may issue by the close of the first week after the apple 

 falls. With early fruit of firmer flesh less than 5 per 

 cent may issue the first week, the maximum issuance 

 occurring the third week. With fall apples 1 per cent 

 or less issue the first week, but issuance the second and 

 succeeding weeks depends on the tendency toward 

 rapid decay. With hard, winter fruit, few larvsB may 

 issue during the first four or five weeks 74 



With most early or fall fruit larvae issue more quickly from 

 drops falling toward the close of the season than from 

 those falling early. In the case of winter fruit drops 

 falling after the third or fourth week in September 

 mature few larvse 75 



The maximum issuance of larvse occurs from fruit dropping 

 early in the ripening season. The critical period is 

 mid-July to mid-September 75 



There is often a high mortality in the combined egg and 

 larval stages of this species. The average observed 

 was 64.2 per cent. The mortality in late drops of win- 

 ter varieties may reach 100 per cent 77 



The duration of the larval stage may be not to exceed thirty 



days or less, or may be greatly prolonged 81 



Mature larvse leave the fruit and pupate normally in the 

 soil beneath or close to the apple, at a depth of one or 

 two inches 82 



