CONTROL OF DRIED-FRUIT INSECTS IN CALIFORNIA. 5 
HIBERNATION. 
Partly grown larve brought into the laboratory October 10, 1913, 
spent the winter in that stage, pupated in the early spring, and 
emerged as adults April 16, 1914. Larva were observed at various 
times during the winter in dried fruit and partly spun up in corners 
and cracks of warehouses. Adults were not observed in warehouses 
until April 15, when many were found to be emerging. In California 
this insect appears to hibernate in the larval stage, pupate in the 
early spring, and emerge as an adult about the middle of April. 
THE DRIED-FRUIT BEETLE. 
The dried-fruit beetle (Carpophilus hemipterus L.) is probably the 
next in importance as a destructive dried-fruit insect. It is found in 
large numbers in the figs before they drop from the trees and in bins 
of figs and other dried fruits. The adults often frequent the packing 
houses in large numbers, where they swarm over and deposit eggs on 
the fruit which has been dipped and put out to cool. They breed 
readily in the moisture of the dried fruits, but apparently can not live 
in fruit that is moderately dry. 
The adult insect hibernates in stored fruit in the packing houses, 
in figs, and probably in other fruits which are not gathered from 
the field at the time of harvest. Plate II, figure 1, shows figs which 
were allowed to remain on the trees during the winter, and which were 
later found to be highly infested with Carpophilus hemipterus. 
On September 3, 1911, 5 pounds of dried figs, taken at random from 
each of seven different dryers in the vicinity of Fresno, Cal., were 
placed in boxes made insect-proof by plugging all cracks with cotton 
and wrapping carefully in stout paper. When examined January 13, 
1912, the fruit in three of the seven boxes was badly infested. The 
results of this experiment prove that many figs are infested before 
they are shipped to the packing house and that the drying sheds are 
one of the sources of infestation. These conclusions will apply equally 
well to other fruits. The processing may kill the insects in the fruit 
at the time of processing but will not protect them from infestation 
while they are being dried or held in the drying sheds prior to shipping 
to the packing houses. 
It has been found that infestation takes place in the field, in the 
packing house, in the warehouse, and in the grocery store. 
PROCESSING DRIED FRUIT. 
Dried fruit from the bins of the packing house is usually quite dry 
and not particularly attractive or appetizing in appearance. In order 
to improve its texture so that it will pack well and be attractive to the 
consumer, it is processed. In Table II will be found the formulas 
for processing fruit that are in common use in California. 
