THE MELON FLY. 
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known to live longer than 4J days without food and water, or longer 
than 5 days with water but no food. But if they can feed upon 
plant juices, such as the sap that exudes from cut or broken surfaces 
of pumpkin vines, cucumber fruits, papayas, etc., or the sap exuding 
from the breaks made in host plants during egg laying, adults may 
live many months. One female lived from February 17, 1914, to 
April 4, 1915, or 13J months. The length of adult life is variable 
Fig. 22. — Destruction of green bean pods by larvse of melon fly. In a and 5 a por- 
tion of the pods has been removed to expose larvse and their work. In a are 
shown four well-grown larvse. Pods in different stages of drying out after the 
larvse have left them are shown in c and d. (Authors' illustration.) 
under like conditions. From the standpoint of longevity the chief 
interest centers about the fact that certain adults may live long 
periods and thus keep the pest alive during seasons when host fruits 
are not in season. 
Female flies may begin to lay eggs as soon as 14 days after they 
emerge from the pupa during the warmer months, when the mean 
temperatures range from 75° to 79° F. During the winter, at a mean 
