178 maine state college 



Carrot Fly — Carrot Rust Fly. 



Psila rosce, Fab. 



Order Diptera : 



We received the following letter from Mr. Morrell which was 

 accompanied by the larvae and pupae of a species of fly, also pieces 

 of carrot in which the maggots had been working. 



'•Pittsfield, Maine, April 6, 1893. 

 Professor F. L. Harvey : 



Dear Sir — I send little worms which I would like to have you 

 identify. The worms are in our carrots and have made holes all 

 through them, after the manner of those in the piece I send. 

 The carrots were placed in a barrel and the barrel filled up with 

 fine dry sand like that I send. On sifting the sand I find it full of 

 worms. Beets grown side by side with the carrots, and packed in 

 the same kind of sand have no worms. Very truly, 



C. H. Morrell " 



Not recognizing the species we wrote Mr. Morrell that the speci- 

 mens were the larval and pupal stages of a fly that we would have 

 to transform and obtain the flies before identifying it. The infested 

 material being only a barrel of sand and this very fine we sug- 

 gested sifting it to remove the pupae and larvae that had left the 

 carrots to transform and burning the sittings ; or heat the whole 

 material with hot water. We received the following reply accom- 

 panied with fully tivo hundred pupae and larvae. 



"PursFiELD, Maine, April 11, 1893. 



Dear Sir — Your card received. For the information, thanks. 

 I have sifted part of the sand and burnt the siftings, and put the 

 rest in boiling water. I don't believe those insects will do any 

 more harm. I send another box of them as you requested. 



Very truly, 



C. H. Morrell." 



After having reared the flies we wrote Mr. Morrell as follows : 



"Orono, Maine, May 26, 1893. 

 Mr. C. 11. Morrell : 



Dear Sir — I have reared the flies from the pupae and larvae, 

 which were affecting your carrots, and am now able to state that it 

 is the "Rust Fly" or '•'Carrot Fly" an imported species from Eng- 

 land, which has been giving some trouble since 1886 in Canada but 



