Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-01-23
INSECTS THAT EAT MEN.
VENOMOUS FLIES STUDIED By
UNCLE SANS BUG SCIENTISTS.
The Terrible Screw Fly Burrows In
Peoples Nostrils-Africa's Tsetse
Fly-rhe Dreaded Buffalo (nat.

HuUEu u uotCl gooiS hoA VAS
Government bug hunters. In
n bulletin coon to be issued
they tell of one species whose attack
is almost sure death, and there are
several others which bite man occa.
sionally with fatal results. The worst
of them all is the insect whose young,
in the immature stage, are called
''screw worms"
This insect does not bite, but lays
it's eggs in peoples nostrils, and the
little grubs Matched from them devour
flesh, bone and gIistle. The fly is
blush green, with a yellow head and
three black stripes on the back. Quite
commonly it deposits its eggs in the
nasal passages OF sheep, horses or cat.
tie, or else in open sores. Within
few hours large numbers of greedy
larvae are Matched out and begin to
feed.
Any one who takes nap out OF doors
in warm weather is exposed to the
attacks OF this fearful pest. The fly
will invade the nostrils and almost in
stantly deposit its eggs. Before it
can be expelled by sneezing or blow.
ing, it has accomplished its work.
Within few hours the worms are
Matched, and they proceed literally to
eat out the inside of the victims head,
sparing neither bone nor flesh. The
prospect Of cure in such case is very
dubious.
DR.. Joshua Richardson, OF Moravia,
iowa, tells OF patient in whose nos
trls u screw fly oviposited. He soon
complained of trouble in the head, and
his nose and face were greatly swollen.
Those symptoms grew worse, and the
patient became delirous. He began
to discharge screw worms from the
nbstrils. A chloroform spray brought
away large numbers of them, so that
in few hours 125 were removed.
Swinging with strong chemical solu.
tions was resorted to, but by this time
the larvae had cut their way into SO
many recesses Of the nose and we're SO
firmly attached that little could be &C.
complished.
Finally they began to drop out,
dead but an abscess in one of the ear
passages, duo to invasion by one or
more OF the worms, exhausted the
patient so much that he died. In ell,
25O worms were taken away. This was
typical case. Others closely resemb.
ling it are not OF infrequent occur
renee.
The screw fly is mainly tropical
insect, but is found all the way from
Canada to Patagonia. 1t deposits 300
or 400 eggs within few moments,
and the larvae hatched from them are
whitlsh footless grubs, slender and
active. They mature in five or six
days, and when full grown they wrig.
glo off and bury themselves in the
ground, where they are transformed
into chrysalids. Prompt Swinging
out of nasal passages with diluted car
bolic acid, one part acid and 200 parts
water, should be resorted to in case OF
the infection of human being. A
physician cannot be summoned toe
quickly.
The bite of the tsetse fly, which is
native to the central plains OF Africa,
is sometimes fatal to man. This in.
sect has become famous by reason OF
the slaughter which it makes among
domestic animals. Its attacks on cat
tie, horses, mules, sheep, as we'll as
numerous wild beasts-zebras. ante
lopes, buffalos. etc.-are deadly in re
suit. Consequently the territory
which it occupies is we'll nigh unin
habitable by man. Nothing worth
mentioning is known of the life his
tory of this destructive fly. 1t is SAID
to have invaded Australia recently,
and the prospect OF its reaching
America may we'll bo regarded witt
alarm.
In this country the most dreaded oi
oil insects are the "buffalo gnats, u
whose bites are occasionally fatal tt
human beings. They do immense
damage among horses. cattle, and
other domestic beasts. Their life
habits are very odd, the young one'
passing the early stage OF their exist
cnce under water, usually in running
streams Sometimes hundreds of do
mestic animals are killed by these
gnats in single parish.
In 1874 the loss occasioned in one
county in Southwest Tennessee wat
estimate at $50O,O00. In 1882 thu
gnats appeared in immense numbers
in Eastern Kansas, Western Tennessee
and Western Mississippi, and tho dam
age they did added greatly to the dis
tress of the inhabitants of that part o
the country caused by unprecedented
floods. Again, in 1886, they came il
immense numbers, spreading through
the entire Mississippi Valley.
The buffalo gnat is dark brown, ant
in size somewhat less than mosquito
After alight,ng upon its victim, i
never quits its hold unless removed b.
force. Its poison is astonishingl.
powerful, and the effect OF it on ami
mails is much the same as that of rat
tlesunke venom on human beings. Th
beast attacked usually dies within
few hours.
The famous "black fly" OF th
Northern States has long been know
as torment to travellers and to do
mestic animals. 1t is n pest even NOR
formidable than the mosquito. Il
sub-Arctic regions of this continent j
opposes barrier against travel. 1t
bite is very severe, leaving u clot o
blood to mark the spot attacked. Yer
little is known about the life histor.
of this dreadful insect, which occur
throughout the greater part of th'
British Provinces, extending its rang
southward into the mountains @
Northern New England. There is n,
doubt, however, that, like its near rel
ative:, the buffalo gnats, it breed
under water. Evidence points to til
conclusion that the larvae live i
swift-running streams.
The "horse flies" or "gad flies" ar
n very interesting family OF insects
some of them being among the larges
of the great order of diptera. The
always have powerful mouth parts m
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