WORK AND PARASITISM OF THE MEDITERRANEAN 
FRUIT FEY IN HAWAII DURING 1917 
By C. E. Pemberton, Assistant Entomologist , and H. F, Willard, Fruit-Fly Quar¬ 
antine Inspector , Mediterranean Fruit-Fly Investigations, Bureau of Entomology, 
United States Department of Agriculture 
The interesting history of the many successful introductions of bene¬ 
ficial insects into Hawaii includes little exact data on the activities of 
these insects during the first few years after liberation. It is during this 
period that some immediate adaptations may be necessary to enable the 
insects to conform to a new environment, and many unexpected fluctua¬ 
tions may occur between the various species introduced to attack the 
same host before a balance is reached among them that can be expected 
to remain fairly constant during the years to follow. This period, then, 
is of much biologic interest. Apart from this, insufficient data have 
been published which convey accurate information concerning the work 
of these insects and the enormous check constantly being exerted by them 
over destructive pests, without which many forms of agriculture could 
not be conducted with profit. Aside from the aid which the entomologist 
can give the farmer in distributing beneficial insects over the earth beyond 
their natural barriers, it is his duty to obtain informing data on the kind 
and extent of assistance that is continually being rendered to agriculture 
through the work of beneficial insects, both native and introduced. 
The spread and value of the parasites introduced into Hawaii to attack 
the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann) have been 
watched and recorded yearly since the first liberations in 1913. 1 With 
the object of continuing this unbroken series of data and of again inform¬ 
ing those interested of the degree of success attending these introduc¬ 
tions, the following data are given to indicate the work of the estab¬ 
lished parasites throughout the year 1917, and the extent of fruit-fly 
injury caused to fruits in the Territory during that year. 
During the year there was a rather heavy infestation of several varieties 
of fruits, some kinds being badly infested, as shown in Table I. From 
913 peaches (Amygdalus persica) collected about Honolulu a total of 
13,904 larvae developed, or an average of 15.2 maggots to each fruit. 
Hardly a peach was sufficiently free from maggots to be edible. From 
1 Back, E. A., and Pemberton, C. E. parasitism among the larvae or the mediterranean fruit 
FEY (c. capitata) in Hawaii in 1914. In Bien. Rpt. Bd. Comrs. Agr. and Forestry, Hawaii, 1913-14, 
p. 153-161. 1915. 
Back, E. A., and Pemberton, C. E. parasitism among the larvae of the mediterranean fruit 
fey (c. capitata) in hawah in 1915. In Jour. Econ. Ent., v. 9, no. 2, p. 306-311. 1916. 
Pemberton, C. E., and Wheard, H. F. fruit-fey parasitism in hawah during 1916. In Jour. 
Agr. Research, v. 12, no. 2, p. 103-108. 1918. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Vol. XIV, No. x 3 
Washington, D. C. 
Sept. 23, 1918 
pm 
(60s) 
Key No. K-73 
