THE MELON FLY IN HAWAIT. 



31 



Table IV. — Daily rate of oviposition of tiro m&lon flic* that emerged on Feb- 

 ruary 11, 191k, and were placed separately with fruit on October 8 and 

 November 26, respectively. 



Fly No. 1, placed with fruit Oct. 8, 1914. 



Fly No. 2, placed with fruit Nov. 26, 1914. 



/ 



Date of 

 oviposition. 1 



Number 

 of eggs de- 

 posited. 



Date of 

 oviposition. 



Number 

 of eggs de- 

 posited. 



Date of 

 oviposition. 1 



Number 

 of eggs de- 

 posited. 



Date of 

 of oviposition. 



Number 

 of eggs de- 

 posited. 



Oct. 8 



10 



14 



17 



20 



23 

 Nov. 2 



5 

 12 

 12 

 21 



7 

 13 



3 



Nov. 4 



9 



13 



15 



19 



27 



18 

 13 

 10 



2 

 4 



( 2 ) 



Nov. 27 



30..- 



Dec. 1 



. 6 



13 



17 



18 



21 



23 



27 



14 

 4 



8 

 \ 8 

 9 

 6 

 2 

 7 

 6 

 3 



Jan. 20 



26 



Feb. 9 



16 



22 



25 

 Mar. 3 



12 



29 



6 

 1 

 3 

 12 

 3 

 3 

 8 

 4 

 ( 2 ) 



' Dates on which no eggs were laid a^e omitted from this table. 

 2 Died on this date. 



Activity in feeding and oviposition. — Like numerous insects in 

 semitropical climates, the adult melon fly rests during the heat of the 

 day in the warmest months. During this part of the day adults may 

 be found resting on the underside of any vegetation offering sufficient 

 protection. During the cooler morning and afternoon hours they may 

 be found flying about their hosts or other vegetation offering food. 

 As cooler weather approaches and during the winter months adults 

 are found feeding and ovipositing at all times of the day, or only 

 during the noon hours if f he mornings and evenings are cooler than 

 usual. 



MIGRATION OF ADITLTS. 



Observation indicates that the adult melon fly is a very much 

 stronger flier than the adults of the Mediterranean fruit fly. Its host 

 plants are grown so generally throughout littoral Hawaii that it is 

 difficult to offer conclusive data on distances covered by adults. Ex- 

 amination has shown that adults do not remain upon their host 

 plants exclusively, but that they may congregate in large num- 

 bers upon the foliage of any densely growing plant, bush, or tree, 

 either close to or at considerable distance from known host plants. 

 They are able to rove for a number of months where no host plants 

 are available for oviposition, and if, as the longevity of certain in- 

 dividuals in the laboratory would indicate, hardy specimens can 

 subsist for over a year without host plants for oviposition. this radius 

 of migration must be considerable. It is certain that no hosts can 

 be planted in the Hawaiian Islands, no matter how isolated, without 

 very soon being attacked. 



Adults do not appear to travel in swarms. It is seldom that one 

 sees more than a single individual at a time feeding upon honeydew 



