BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT QUARANTINE 69 
ness on the part of inspectors at ports of entry. Among products re- 
quiring fumigation or other treatment as a condition of entry were 
used burlap, because of the possibility of contamination with the pink 
bollworm, other cotton pests, or with golden nematode cysts ; broom- 
corn, because of infestations of larvae of the European corn borer 
and durra stem borer ; and Hawaiian fruits and vegetables because of 
destructive fruit flies. Cotton and cotton products were fumigated 
or otherwise treated on account of the pink bollworm. Lily-of-the- 
valley pips, nursery stock, plants, seeds, chestnuts, cipollini, and other 
products were fumigated or otherwise treated to prevent introduction 
of a wide variety of pests with which they are known to be infested 
in the countries of origin. 
Quarantine actions affecting 5 domestic and 9 foreign quarantines 
were taken during the year and revisions were made of the summaries 
of the import requirements of 17 foreign countries and of the plant 
quarantine requirements of 6 States. 
Plant quarantine service was inaugurated in the Virgin Islands 
in 1952 by assignment of two inspectors, one on St. Thomas and one 
on St. Croix. 
A survey was completed to determine need for safeguarding ves- 
sels passing through the Panama Canal to prevent establishment of 
the oriental fruit fly and other destructive pests in that area and their 
subsequent possible spread to the continental United States. 
In accordance with financial and other arrangements with the Gov- 
ernments of Australia and New Zealand, planes leaving Hawaii for 
those countries were inspected prior to departure to prevent carriage 
of the oriental fruit fly and other pests. 
The number of export certificates issued for domestic plants and 
plant products to meet plant-quarantine requirements of foreign coun- 
tries increased about 12 percent over the previous year — to nearly 
30,000. These were issued at 53 ports to cover 115 types of plants and 
plant products in more than 9 million containers and consigned to 116 
countries. 
TRANSIT INSPECTION 
Approximately 1,210,000 shipments moving in interstate commerce 
were examined at 15 terminal points by transit inspectors of the 
Bureau during 1952. Of this number, 1,154 shipments were found 
to be moving in violation of domestic plant quarantines, 67 of which 
were observed by California State inspectors. In addition 3,444 ship- 
ments were reported to States as violations of State and District of 
Columbia plant quarantines or nursery certification requirements. 
INSECT IDENTIFICATION 
One of the Bureau's Diptera specialists was assigned for the month 
of June 1953 to cooperate with the Bureau of Animal Industry in a 
survey to determine the distribution and abundance of sand flies of 
the genus Culicoides. These flies are the vectors of the blue-tongue 
disease of sheep which is prevalent in parts of Texas, California, and 
several other western States. 
During the fiscal year, taxonomic specialists of the Bureau identi- 
fied 89,800 samples of insects for the various research, regulatory, and 
control activities of the Bureau, and for other Federal agencies, State 
