THE MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT ELY. 



33 



acre of guava or of coffee can support the fly throughout the year 

 without the aid of other host fruits and form a center for the 

 reinfestation of surrounding areas. Notwithstanding the fact that 

 the bulk of the ripening and infested fruits can be collected except 

 during the mango season, lasting from May to July, and fruit-fly 

 conditions unquestionably improved from the standpoint of the 

 numerical abundance of adult flies, the important fact remains that 

 the number of fruit flies that succeed in reaching maturity is suf- 

 ficiently large to infest practically every fruit ripening within the city. 

 Clean culture can not be made effective under present conditions. 

 The islands are thoroughly overrun with the fruit fly, and this applies 





Fig. 2S.— The fruits of this tree, the winged kamani, ripening throughout the year, are badly infested by 

 the Mediterranean fruit fly. The nuts of this one tree are enough to supply adult flies for an entire 

 neighborhood. (Authors' illustration.) 



quite as much to the guava scrubs in pastures or lava flows and in 

 mountain gulches as within city limits. By far the larger proportion 

 of the host trees and shrubs are grown more for protection from the 

 tropic sun and for their ornamental value than for their fruits. Large 

 numbers of the host fruits are not edible. The destruction of host 

 vegetation is out of the question until it can be proved that some 

 worth-while advantage can be gained. To cut down all host trees in 

 Honolulu at present would mean the removal of a large percentage 

 of her prized vegetation without giving her citizens any adequate 

 compensation. 



