24 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1933 
Table 8. — Infestations of fruit flies in Texas, fiscal year 1933 
District 
Adults 
Date trapped 
District 
Adults 
Date trapped 
Males ' 
Fe- 
males 
Males * 
Fe- 
males 
Jan. 14 
McAUen 
Weslaco... - - 
1 
Apr. 3 . 
2 1 
Jan. 14 
21 
Apr. 12 
May 1 
Total . 
—..do 
1 
1 
Jan. 21 
McAUen 
1 
1 
Jan. 24 
Feb. 24 
Harlinsen 
31 
16 
3 
Mar. 10 -. 
do 
1 
1 All 6 males were Anastrepha ludens; 43 other specimens of this species were taken in Matamoras, Mexico, 
as shown in table 11. Anastrepha pallens is not known to attack commercial fruit and is therefore omitted 
from both tables. 
2 Anastrepha fraterculus. 
3 Anastrepha serpentina. 
Also of incidental interest was the taking of an adult papaya fruit fly, Toxo- 
trypana curvicauda, in the Weslaco district. This is the second of this species 
observed in the valley, the first having been taken in this same district during 
the previous year. 
INSPECTIONS 
Because of the light crop and curtailed harvesting season the number of grove 
inspections required during the past year was considerably less than during the 
preceding season. A total of 30,957 inspections were made; of these it was 
necessary temporarily to withhold only 740 certificates of inspection, which 
indicates that groves were kept in excellent condition throughout the harvesting 
period. 
In addition to the regular grove inspections, which were made for the purpose 
of locating infestations and enforcing sanitary conditions, trapping was carried 
on throughout the year. During the harvesting period approximately 1,200 fly- 
traps were operated regularly on the Texas side of the border. This number 
was increased to about 6,000 during the host-free period. 
COLLECTION OF SPECIMENS 
Invaluable experience in the most effective methods of inspection was gained 
by all inspectors during the spring of 1932 when infestations were generally 
distributed over the valley. Based on this experience, inspections during the 
last season were confined largely to apparently sound fruit, since experience had 
shown that larvae of Anastrepha ludens were more likely to be found in that class 
of fruit than in decaying fruit, in which scavenger larvae are most common. For 
that reason the number of collections and specimens submitted for identification 
showed a decided decline from the number of the previous year. A total of 3,388 
collections were made, comprising 18,349 specimens. Larvae of 10 families of 
Diptera were commonly encountered in decaying fruit. 
ERADICATION MEASURES 
It was not deemed necessary or advisable to declare infested zones around the 
six groves in which adult fruit flies were taken this year. The commercial crop 
of fruit had been completely harvested in 1 and partly harvested in the other 2 
groves in which adults were taken during January. The owners of these groves 
were notified of the taking of the adult flies, and they immediately completed 
the harvesting of all remaining commercial fruit and cleaned the trees of all culls. 
This was followed by a thorough application of the nicotine spray, which was 
applied under the direct supervision of the district inspectors. There was, of 
course, no fruit in the groves in which adult flies were found subsequent to March 
1. These groves were also given an especially thorough application of the spray 
during the regular spraying program in the spring of 1933. 
