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Life History of the Melon Fly

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Life History of the Melon Fly LIFE HISTORY OF THE MELON FLY By E. A. BACK, Entomological assistant, and C. E. PEMBëRTON, Scientific Assistant, Mediterranean Fruit-Fly Investigations, Bureau of Entomology INTRODUCTION Aside from the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata Wied., there is no other insect in the Hawaiian Islands that is causing such financial loss to fruit and vegetable interests as the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coq. The damages caused by its ravages are placed by some even higher than those caused by C. capitata. While B. cucurbitae was not officially recorded until November, 1898, when it was first discovered by Mr. George Compere in the market gardens in the environs of Honolulu, it had been knownlocally about that city many years before. Mr. Albert Waterhouse, Acting President of the Hawaiian Board of Agriculture and Forestry, states that less than 30 years ago excellent cantaloupes (Cucumis meló) and watermelons (Citrullus vulgaris) and many kinds of pumpkins and squashes were grown in profusion the year round. Since that time the spread of the melon fly has been so rapid that this insect is now found on all the important islands of the Hawaiian group, and cantaloupes and water- melons can not be grown except on new land distant from old gardens. More than 95 per cent of the pumpkin (Cucúrbita pepo) crop is annually ruined, not to mention the havoc caused among the more resistant cucumbers (Cucumis sativus). ^ Not only does the adult melon fly oviposit in fruit that has already set, but more often—in the case of the pumpkin and the squash (Cucúrbita spp.)—in the unopened male and female flowers, in the stem of the vine, and even in the seedling itself, especially in seedlings of the watermelon and the cantaloupe. The writers have observed entire fields of water- melons killed before the plants were 6 to 8 inches long by larvae boring into the taproot, stem, and leaf stalks. An examination of almost any pumpkin or squash field in the agricultural districts on the Island of Oahu at certain seasons of the year will show that very nearly all the flowers are affected before they have an opportunity to bloom, In about 95 cases out of 100 the anthers of the male bloom are either reduced to a mass of rot or more or less eaten before the bud becomes full grown, and the young ovaries of the female bloom are ruined by the burrowing mag- gots either before or shortly after the flower unfolds. While cucurbitaceous crops are the favored host fruits of the melon fly, certain varieties of leguminous crops, such as string beans and cow- peas, are often badly attacked. When preferred host fruits are scarce, even peaches, papayas, and similar fruits are attacked to a limited degree. No satisfactory remedy has yet been found to prevent the infestation of fruit. The Chinese gardeners save a small percentage of crops subject to the attacks of this pest by covering the young fruit with cloth or paper or, in the case of the curcurbits, by burying them in the soil until they become sufficiently large to withstand attack. The female melon fly deposits her eggs in small batches just beneath the surface of the fruit, vegetable, or plant affected. From these eggs Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. III. No. 3* Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. K—ii (269) 270 Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. Ill, No. 3 maggots are hatched which feed and burrow about, causing the rapid destruction of the affected parts, and then leave the host to enter the soil, where they pupate. After a short time the adult emerges from the pupa and soon deposits eggs for the following generation of larvae. THE EGG From the data included in Table I it will be seen that the duration of the egg stage of the melon fly is very short. During the warm summer months, when the daily mean temperature is about 79o P., eggs hatch in 26 to 35 hours after deposition. The data indicate that hatching pro- ceeds most rapidly about 27 or 28 hours after the eggs are laid. At a mean temperature of 75.6o, 84 eggs hatched in from 31 to 38 hours, while at a mean of 75o, 96 eggs hatched in about 47 hours after deposition. At 73.6°, 88 eggs hatched about 52 to 54 hours after being laid. TABLE I.—Duration of the egg stage of the-melon fly Eggs deposited. Eggs hatched. Average Number mean of eggs tempera- under ob- ture for servation. Day. Period. Day. Period. period. 17 Aug. 20 10.30 to 11.30 a. m... Aug. 21 1 to 2 p. m 79-5 7e ...do do ...do 2 to 2.15 p. m 79* 5 45 ...do .....do ...do 2.30 to 2.45 p. m.... 79-5 12 ...do do ...do 2.45 to 3 p. m 79-S 23 ...do do ...do 3 to 3.15 p. m 79-5 9 ...do..... do ...do 3.i5to3.3op. m.... 79-5 6 ...do do ...do 3.30 to 3.45 p. m.... 79-5 20 ...do do ...do 3.45 to 4 p. m 79-5 9 ...do do ...do 4 to 4.30 p. m 79-5 37 ...do do ...do 4.30 to ó p. m 79-5 7 ...do do ...do . 6 to 8 p. m . 79-5 c ...do do ...do 8 to 9 p. m 79-5 2 ...do do ...do 9 to 10 p. m 79.5 84 May 19 3.15 to 3.30 p. m May 20 10 p. m. to 2 a. m... 75-6 96 May 14 4 to 6 p. m May 16 3 to 5.30 a. m 75- 0 13 May 13 10 a. m. to 1 p. m.. May 14 About 9 p. m 75-5 62 ...do do ...do 10 p. m. to 3 a. m,.. 75-5 77 May 11 11.30 a. m. to 2p. m. May 13 3 to 6 a. m 73-6 11 ...... ...do do ...do 6 to 9.30 a. m 73-6 THE LARVA The larva of the melon fly passes through three instars before being full grown. The data in Table II show that at a mean temperature of about 79o F. larvae can complete their development in from four days and four hours to seven days. The larvae recorded as feeding upon papaya (Carica papaya) were transferred several times a day from one small piece of pulp to a fresh piece; hence, they probably pupated a few hours sooner than they would have pupated had they undergone their entire development in a single fruit. Larvae developing in thick-skinned fruits, such as water- melons and pumpkins, often remain in the fruit after becoming full grown several days longer before emerging to pupate than they would have done had they been less confined. During the cooler seasons of the year" the length of the larval life will probably be found to be much longer. Dec. is, 1914 Melon Fly 271 TABLE II.—Duration of the larval stage of the melon fly Number Number of hours in— Average mean tern* Approximate Period in perature mens period of Host fruit. under larval stage. for period development. Instar Instar Instar of devel- obser- 1 2 3 vation. opment. Days. Hours. *F. Sept. 25 to 29. Papaya 26 24 SO 4 7 78.2 do 24 25 54 4 7 79 do Y.'.YAO.'.Y.Y.. .25 25 51 4 10 79 Sept. 2K to 30. do 27 25 60 4 16 79 do do 26 40 52 4 22 79 Sept. 2Q to do 24 24 60 4 12 78.2 Oct. 4. ...do do 23 23-5 60 4 10 78.2 do do 23-5 22 60 4 10 78.2 do do 23-5 21. K 60 4 11 78.2 do do 22. 5 23 ÓO 4 11 78.2 do do 25.1 3Ó ÓO 5 1 78. 2 12 Aug. 22 to 26.. Cantaloupe... 5 79 55 ...do 6 79 28 Aug. 22 to 28.. Cucumber. 6 79 42 Aug. 22 to 29.. Cantaloupe... 7 79 o36u do Cucumber ... 7 79 THE PUPA At mean temperatures varying from 71.6° to 79.4o F., the pupal stage ranges from 7K to 13 days, as determined by observations on the 1,400 pupae recorded in Table III. As the mean winter monthly tem- peratures seldom fall below 700 F., 13 days is probably close to the maximum length of the pupal stage during the cooler seasons in littoral Hawaii. a TABLE III.—Duration of the pupal stage of the melon fly Number Number Average of adults of days of mean Date of pupation. Date of emergence. emerg- pupal tempera- ing. stage. ture. °F. Aug. 14, a. m, Aug. 22, a. m. 5 8 78.7 Do Aug. 23, a. m. 25 9 78.9 Do Aug. 25, a. m. I 11 78.9 Aug. 17, a. m. ...do 60 8 79-3 Do Aug. 25, p. m. 1 8.5 79-3 Do... Aug. 26, a. m. 27 9 79.2 Aug. 18, p. m. ...do 2 7-5 79- Do Aug. 27, a. m. 10 8.5 79- Sept. 17, a. m. Sept. 26, a. m. 26 9 79- Do Sept. 27, a. m. 37 10 79- Sept. 20, a. m. Sept. 29, a. m. 355 9 79- Do Sept. 30, a. m. 33 10 79- Sept. 19, a. m. Sept. 28, a. m. 300 9 79- Do Sept.
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