162 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



the nearly invisible puncture, which soon becomes surrounded by a brown 

 areola. They are deposited most largely in the earhest berries to appear, 

 i. e. those at the base of the bunch. After emerging from the egg, the 

 young larva works its way along under the skin of the berry, usually 

 leaving a trail, for perhaps a third or half of the circumference, and then 

 in most cases enters one of the seeds. It soon becomes too large for its 

 refuge and may then be found lying between the seeds and feeding upon 

 them. Occasionally two or three larvae are found within a single 

 berry. The injured seeds turn black and become cemented together. 

 Later, the infested currants show a clouded appearance on the side, 

 occasioned by the presence of the larva; soon that cheek turns red, 

 becomes darker and finally black. The infested berries ripen early and 

 drop, often before the larvae have matured, but occasionally the currants 

 on the bushes show the exit hole cut by the matured larva in its escape 

 to the ground. Many, however, remain in the fallen fruit for several 

 days before emerging therefrom for pupatijn, some for over three 

 weeks, though most of them forsake the berries within a week. The 

 larvae pupate either in the soil or under some convenient shelter on 

 the surface during the latter part of June or early in July, the fly appear- 

 ing the following spring. 



Remedies. About the only satisfactory methods of fighting this 

 insect are the destruction of the infested fruit with the contained insect 

 or killing it while still in the ground. The most practical method of 

 controlling this species is, in most cases, to allow chickens to run among 

 the bushes, as they will devour much of the infested fruit. If the ground 

 is kept cultivated, and the fowls are allowed to scratch, many pupae 

 will be destroyed in this manner. Another remedy that promises to 

 be effective is spraying the ground under the bushes with kerosene 

 emulsion after the insects have pupated. If this was done just before a 

 rain, the emulsion would be washed into the soil and come in contact 

 with the pupae. This treatment should be as fatal to this insect as it 

 has proved in the case of white grubs in the soil. 



Bibliography 



Loew, Hermann. Monograph of the diptera of North America. 

 1873. 3: 235-38 (original descrii)tion). 



Osten-Sacken, C. R. Catalogue of the diptera of North America. 

 1878. p. 189 (listed). 



Saunders, William. Insects injurious to fruits. 1883. 1889. 

 P- 352, 353 (^rief mention). 



