THE FRUIT FLY.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 March 1907, Page 4

THE FRUIT FLY.

STATEMENT BY AN EXPERT. [Di IEi.KOZIAPB SPECIAL 10 THE STAK.J CHRISTCHURCH, March -o. Mr G. Quinn, the South Australian expert, who brought the recent shipment of grapes to the colony, questioned about the fruit fly, said he regretted that ho had little information to give, though ho was glad that the cause of his ignorance was the absence of the fly from South Australia. His State had had no trouble with the fly, but the alarm among fruitgrowers in South Australia had been due to the growth of the pest in Victoria. It seemed to be easy of transport, and the growers who had had no experience of its ravages were naturally anxious to prevent the possibility of its introduction from another State. It was the Mediterranean fly. and was very similar in its habits ami methods of working to the Queensland fly, but while the la.ttcr appeared capable of existence only in a tropical or semi-tropical climate, the Mediterranean fly lived in much colder climates The fly itself was fairly easy to detect, as it had a habit of spreading out 'ts wings when resting on fruits, but the eggs were laid under the skin of the fruit, and were therefore more difficult to discover. In the maggot stage the insect would bore through the fruit and drop to the ground, so that large numbers wore found in the earth at the foot of a tree that had been attacked. In order to destroy the pest it was necessary not only to boil or burn the fruit, but to treat the earth as well, and a dressing of kerosene had been found effectual. Tasmania had been visited by the pest, hut it had been caught early and stamped out, and he hoped that New Zealand would have no greater trouble than Tasmania had had. The transport of the fly in the maggot stage was a simple matter, the insects often sheltering in the woodwork of fruit cases. That would probably account for its discovery in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough. ...