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Melon Fly

Bactrocera cucurbitae

Photo by John B.
Published on Project Noah
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15.4561, 119.921

Field Notes

Description:

Tephritidae; Dacinae; Dacini; Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett, 1849. "Bactrocera cucurbitae, the melon fly, is a fruit fly of the family Tephritidae. It is a serious agricultural pest, particularly in Hawaii." Wikipedia.

Habitat:

These Melon Flies were spotted in our vegetable plot on the Cucumber Plants (Cucumis sativus) which are locally known as Pipino. They did considerable damage to the crop, but there was more than enough left undamaged. We don't grow vegetables for commercial purposes and always have more than we can use. So friends, family and neighbours are always welcome to pick some. However, I think it is important to stress that I don't mean to make light of the problem caused by these flies. Commercial farmers can be hit hard if they appear in large numbers.

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Photographed
PublishedJune 10, 2022

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