206 MAINE STATE COLLEGE 



December, 1889, and we found many exit holes, a few pupae and 

 occasionally a larva. We asked Mr. Sweetser to examine the barrels 

 in which the apples were stored, and he sent us eighty pupee. 



Mr. Henry S. Smith of Monmouth, Me., says : "I swept up and 

 burned large quantities of pupse from where I stored Nodheads and 

 Tolmans on the cellar floor. The apples had been in barrels until 

 put up for market in December and January." 



We have had a great many larvas leave the apples and enter the 

 pupa state in the bottom of the boxes and jars containing them. 



Egg-Laying Habits of the Fly. 



When do the flies lay their eggs? — The published views on this 

 point are, that the eggs are not laid until late summer or mid- 

 autumn. Comstock says : ' 'According to my observations and all 

 published accounts, the apple maggot does not occur in the apple 

 until the latter part of the summer. "Lintuer says : "During the 

 latter pait of the month (July) or in August it deposits several of 

 its eggs upon an apple near the calyx end." Perkins says : "As 

 the maggots do not eat the apples until well advanced toward ma- 

 turity it is obvious that the eggs are not deposited on the fruit until 

 the end of summer, and from that time to mid-autumn." Our obser- 

 vations do not warrant the above conclusions. The eggs begin to 

 be laid in Maine, on the earlier varieties, by July 1st, and probably 

 earlier in the states farther south. Oviposition continues until the 

 flies die in the fall by killing frosts. We found numerous small 

 Trypeta larvae in Sweet Boughs and Early Harvests by July 9th. 

 Comparing their size with newly hatched larvse they must have been 

 a few days old. Allowing for the time required to hatch it would 

 make the time of egg laying July 1st or earlier. Larvae found in 

 early imported fruit from Massachusetts were more mature than in 

 the above, which would mean earlier egg laying in Massachusetts. 



They are found in abundance in half grown apples. The channels 

 made by the young larvae are largely healed by the growing tissue 

 and might lead to the view that "they do not eat the apples until 

 well advanced toward maturity." They are there, nevertheless, 

 ready to rapidly grow when the pulp softens. As the fruit matures, 

 the channels no longer heal, and being larger, become apparent. 

 The close observer will find plenty of larvse before the large yellow 

 channels made by the adult can be seen. We had pupas in consid- 

 erable numbers the last season by August 10th. The fact that 

 maggots of all sizes can be found from early in July until cold 



