Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-11-27
THE HORN FLY.
Its Appearance, Habits and the Way to
Destroy 1t.

ACO AppcATAuC6p f1ADlCS ana Cn0 way Co
Destroy 1t.
Flies which are quite small, like COM
mon flies to the naked eye, make blotch-
es two or three inches square about the
roots of the horns of my cattle, and f.
nally eat the horns off; is there remedy?
ID. g. s.
Answer-This is evidently the horn
fly (HBmatobia s~errata). 1t was the most
troublesome of all cattle flies in New Jer-
sey during 1889, so much so that a special
investigation was made by the expert
ment station of that state. The follow
ing facts are taken from the report of
Professor j. B. Smith: The flies are about
one-sixth of IN inch in length. of a dark
ash-gray color with a faint yellowish
tinge. To the ordinary observer they
appear nearly black and are generally so
described. In habits this fly is quite un-
like any other biting flies that trouble
cattle. tits never seen except on horned
stock and appears to worry the cattle
both day and night. In biting, the flies
bury themselves in the hair, spreading
out their wings at the same time. Early
in the season they prefer to work at the
base of the horn, clustering there in great
numbers. Later they seem to be less
confined to the head and attack every
part of the body, clustering at the root
of the tail. Startling stories are often
told of the great damage done by them.
Some farmers claim that they bore into
the horn so that the latter is broken off,
while the insects bore on into the brain.
No case has yet been reported where it
could be proved that this took place. An
examination of the mouth parts of the
insect through a microscope will show
that it would be impossible for it to gnaw
or bore. The fly is a sucker, not a chewer
at all. 1t operates more like the ordi-
nary fly or mosquito. In biting, it thrusts
a fine and sharp tube through the hide
like pushing a needle through cloth.
A small quantity of saliva or poison is
then injected into the wound. This sets
up AT immediate inflammation and causes
a flow of blood to the wound. The fly
then begins to suck or pump the blood
through the little tube into it's body until
it is satiated or driven off. There is alb
solutely no way in which it can chew,
and not one particle of solid matter can
be detached or swallowed. At the base
of the healthy horn is a soft, pulpy ma
terial which feels greasy to the touch. 1t
is here that the flies suck, leaving this
part dry and lifeless and, to that extent,
injuring the horn. Thin skinned and
nervous animals, like young Jerseys,
generally suffer most from the fly. Its
eggs are generally laid at night in fresh
manure There they hatch. The Larvae
depend for nourishment upon a soft.
partly liquid substance-if deprived of it
they perish. IF all fresh %droppings are
thoroughly spread out to the sun with a
hoe or shovel or well sprinkled with lime
In the stable, plaster, abundantly sprin-
killed. about the manure, not only holds
the valuable ammonia, but kills these
eggs. TO kill the flies on cattle nothing
is better than fish oil with a little carbolic
acid, and tobacco dust added. Carbolic
sheep dips are also good and tar is fire.
quently used. The best way is to put the
material on with a sponge, wetting only
the tips Of the hair on the belly, udder
and other parts where the tobacco dust
will not stay. The tobacco is to be sifted
into the hair at the base of the horns.
along the back and at the root of the tail.
For this busting Professor Smith recon-
mends x. o. dust, a mixture of finely
ground sand, lime and tobacco, with a
small amount of carbolic acid.-Rural
New Yorker.