28 
ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1933 
any, fruit is handled commercially. The owners of these trees conceived the idea 
that the only penalty for allowing the fruit to mature during the summer months 
would be a refusal of shipping permits, which would be no hardship to them. 
After persuasive methods had failed, the case was turned over to the State de- 
partment of agriculture for legal action. The fruit on two of these places was 
officially condemned as a public nuisance by the commissioner of agriculture and 
was destroyed by laborers under the protection of the sheriff's office of Willacy 
County. The owners of the other four premises, on seeing the determined action 
of the State officers, allowed their fruit to be removed without further objection. 
INFESTATIONS IN MATAMOROS, MEXICO 
The work of the Mexican Department of Agriculture in suppressing infestations 
at Matamoros and attempting to prevent the introduction and sale of infested 
fruits from other parts of the Republic is helping greatly to prevent the reintro- 
duction of the Mexican fruit fly into the citrus-growing area on the Texas side of 
the border. 
All citrus and other fruits arriving in Matamoros from interior points are 
inspected on arrival before being released to the consignees. Following such 
release, all fruit that shows signs of decay or infestation is collected daily from the 
markets and after inspection is destroyed by burning. Inspection of fruit on 
arrival in Matamoros and of that spoiling in the markets resulted in the finding 
of 6,654 larvae and 33 pupae during the year. These specimens were taken from 
apples, guavas, mangoes, oranges, quinces, and from the box used in transporting 
spoiled fruit from the market to the office of the Mexican inspector. As in previous 
years, mangoes were found to carry the heaviest infestation of any fruit reaching 
Matamoros. Some wormy fruit is undoubtedly sold to the citizens before any 
external evidence of infestation is apparent. When the purchaser later finds this 
fruit wormy, it is, in many instances, thrown out in the patio, which accounts 
for the continued taking of adult fruit flies in Matamoros. 
Approximately 200 flytraps were operated continuously during the year in 
Matamoros. These traps captured 43 adult fruit flies on 12 premises. This 
was about half the number taken during the preceding year. 
As a result of these activities, the development of local infestation in Mata- 
moros is largely prevented. Only three such local infestations were discovered 
during the year. These were found in July and October 1932, and April 1933, 
respectively. The facts indicated that a single female, in all probability, was 
responsible for each of these infestations, these females having evidently escaped 
the traps and poison spray until after they had laid eggs. 
Table 11. — Infestations of Anastrepha ludens in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, 
fiscal year 1933 
Local fruit 
Imported fruit 
Month 
Adults 
trapped 
Larvae found 
in — 
Larvae found in— 
Pupae 
in 
mango 
Total 
Orange, 
sour 
Sar- 
gentia 
Apple 
Guava 
Mango 
Orange 
Quince 
Un- 
known > 
July 
2 
1 
169 
37 
6 
1 
21 
214 
21 
4 
26 
2 
9 
2 
29 
October ... 
22 
3 
5 
27 
3 
67 
3 
6 
67 
3 
February. . 
39 
15 
58 
337 
891 
5,181 
24 
March... . 
1 
11 
1 
6 
3 
60 
April 
354 
May 
11 
905 
June 
3 
33 
5,217 
Total 
43 
174 
11 
5 
9 
6,519 
111 
8 
2 
33 
* 6, 915 
1 Specimens taken from box in which fruit was carried from market to office. 
2 Anastrepha species— not typical A. ludens. 
3 Probably A. striata. 
* 2,521 of these specimens were forwarded to Mexico City for identification. 
