CITRUS FRUIT INSECTS IN" MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES. 3 



from any of the late shipments, and also because of the extreme 

 scarcity of the fly as found by the writer in other fruits, as well as in 

 oranges. 



In Sicily Ceratitis capitata has been reared by the writer from the 

 following fruits : Apple, azarole, fig, Indian fig, lemon, mandarin, nec- 

 tarine, orange (sweet), orange (bitter), peach, pear, and plum. Of 

 these fruits the peach is the most severely infested. This is particu- 

 larly true of the late peaches in August and September. In many 

 places much of the fruit as it approached maturity was attacked. As 

 a consequence most of the fruit is picked rather green and not so many 

 of the infested fruits find their way to the markets. In some sections, 

 however, the fruit-fly was not so abundant in the field, and it was pos- 

 sible to get a good percentage of sound, mature fruit. Wormy fruit 

 was supposed not to be sold in the markets of Palermo, and this was 

 enforced by a few 50-lire fines. After the first few days following the 

 hatching of the larvae infested peaches are readily distinguished, and 

 the writer was able to get all the infested fruit necessary for experi- 

 mental purposes from the Palermo markets. 



All of the peaches met with in Sicily were clings and of a very firm 

 texture. The preponderance of such a variety may be due to the 

 fact that such fruits do not break down so readily from the attacks of 

 the fly. Figs are also more or less infested, but to no such extent as 

 the peach, and the loss to the figs was very little. Most of the figs are 

 picked for drying while they are still firm, and few in this condition 

 contained larvae. Plums and apples were rarely infested, while a few 

 larvae were found in pears. The pears of Sicily are likewise of solid, 

 firm texture, there being no Bartlett or other representatives of our 

 better varieties. Indian figs, a very common fruit in all parts of Sicily, 

 were not infested until September, and then only a small percentage. 

 It was not difficult to find azaroles containing larvae, but the greater 

 percentage of them was sound. 



Aside from a few localities where considerable injury is done to the 

 peach, the fruit-fly is not a very destructive pest in Mediterranean 

 countries and fruit continues to be grown successfully in spite of its 

 presence. In these countries, too, it should be noted, the growers 

 have little knowledge of the insects infesting their fruit, with the 

 exception of one or two species, and they do not, as a rule, practice any 

 measures for artificial control. The writer knows of no case where 

 the culture of any fruit in these countries has had to be abandoned 

 because of the destructiveness of the Mediterranean fruit-fly. While 

 this insect was on two or three occasions, during his sojourn in the 

 Mediterranean vicinity, served to the writer through peaches at the 

 table, codling-moth-infested apples and pears formed a regular part of 

 the menu in comparison. These statements are made with no pur- 

 pose of minimizing the importance of the pest. 



