78 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Feb., '15 



Experiments in Destroying Fruit Infested with Fruit 



Fly Maggots (Dipt.). 



By Henry H. P. Severin, Ph.D. 



Various methods for the destruction of fruit infested with 

 fruit fly maggots have been recommended by entomologists. 

 In Bermuda, according to Harris (4) some of the fruits in^ 

 fested with Mediterranean fruit fly larvae (Ceratitis capitata 

 Wied.) "were collected in sacks, weighted by inserting a big 

 stone before closing the bag, and thrown into the sea." Her- 

 rera (5) gives an account of destroying the Mexican or More- 

 los orange worm (Atiastrepha ludens Loew) by injecting gaso- 

 line or benzine into each fallen, infested fruit, thus avoiding 

 the transportation of heavy loads of oranges to the incinerator 

 or burying ditches. 



The daily destruction of all infested fruit by burning, boiling 

 or burying has been recommended by a large number of ento- 

 mologists. Since the daily burning or boiling of maggoty fruit 

 "is not always a convenient method," as French (i) has al- 

 ready pointed out, and we may add somewhat expensive on 

 account of the fuel consumed, we endeavored to test out the 

 cheaper methods of destroying infested fruit. 



A considerable difference of opinion exists among entomol- 

 ogists as to the depth that maggoty fruit should be buried in 

 the soil to prevent the adult flies from emerging. In Mexico, 

 the Commission of Parasitologia Agricola formulated rules to 

 control the Mexican or Morelos orange worm and recom- 

 mended that infested fruit should be covered with about twenty 

 inches of soil. Froggatt (2). 



In 1898 a fruit fly regulation was put into force in Queens- 

 land and one method recommended for the control of fruit 

 flies was to bury infested fruit "beneath not less than one foot 

 six inches of solid earth." Kirk (6). 



Mally (7), of South Africa, found that, if infested fruit 

 was placed in the bottom of a pit and covered with ten inches 

 of soil, the Mediterranean fruit flies emerged in abundance in 

 due time, but if the soil was carefully tramped, no flies suc- 

 ceeded in escaping. 



