CITRUS FRUIT INSECTS IN MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES. 3 
from any of the late shipments, and also because of the extreme 
scarcity of the fly as found by the writer in other fruits, as well as in 
oranges. 
In Sicily Ceratitis capitata has been reared by the writer from the 
following fruits : Apple, azarole, fig, Indian fig, lemon, mandarin, nec- 
tarine, orange (sweet), orange (bitter), peach, pear, and plum. Of 
these fruits the peach is the most severely infested. This is particu- 
larly true of the late peaches in August and September. In many 
places much of the fruit as it approached maturity was attacked. As 
a consequence most of the fruit is picked rather green and not so many 
of the infested fruits find their way to the markets. In some sections, 
however, the fruit-fly was not so abundant in the field, and it was pos- 
sible to get a good percentage of sound, mature fruit. Wormy fruit 
was supposed not to be sold in the markets of Palermo, and this was 
enforced by a few 50-iire fines. After the first few days following the 
hatching of the larvae infested peaches are readily distinguished, and 
the writer was able to get all the infested fruit necessary for experi- 
mental purposes from the Palermo markets. 
All of the peaches met with in Sicily were clings and of a very firm 
texture. The preponderance of such a variety may be due to the 
fact that such fruits do not break down so readily from the attacks of 
the fly. Figs are also more or less infested, but to no such extent as 
the peach, and the loss to the figs was very little. Most of the figs are 
picked for drying while they are still firm, and few in this condition 
contained larvae. Plums and apples were rarely infested, while a few 
larvae were found in pears. The pears of Sicily are likewise of solid, 
firm texture, there being no Bartlett or other representatives of our 
better varieties. Indian figs, a very common fruit in all parts of Sicily, 
were not infested until September, and then only a small percentage. 
It was not difficult to find azaroles containing larvae, but the greater 
percentage of them was sound. 
Aside from a few localities where considerable injury is done to the 
peach, the fruit-fly is not a very destructive pest in Mediterranean 
countries and fruit continues to be grown successfully in spite of its 
presence. In these countries, too, it should be noted, the growers 
have little knowledge of the insects infesting their fruit, with the 
exception of one or two species, and they do not, as a rule, practice any 
measures for artificial control. The writer knows of no case where 
the culture of any fruit in these countries has had to be abandoned 
because of the destructiveness of the Mediterranean fruit-fly. While 
this insect was on two or three occasions, during his sojourn in the 
Mediterranean vicinity, served to the writer through peaches at the 
table, codling-moth-infested apples and pears formed a regular part of 
the menu in comparison. These statements are made with no pur- 
pose of minimizing the importance of the pest. 
