Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-10-10
HOW To GET RID OF FLIES
GOVERNMENT EXPERTS TELL THE
WAY TO EXTERMiNATE THE PEST.


A thorough investigation has been
made recently by the Department Of
Agriculture, Washington, as to the
breeding Of common house flies and
the best means Of exterminating them.
The conclusions can be stated very
briefly. AS the fly is a pest in nearly
every portion of this country, even in
the best-regulated household, and at
this season of the year, the work of
the department is timely and of value.
The principal breeding place of the
house fly is horse manure. From a
small accumulation of this in stable
or an alley the department experts
have found that enough flies will be
generated within few days to make
life burden to all the people living
in the vicinity.
The simplest remedies and the only
effective ones have been found to be
Kerosene sprayed upon the manure
and washed into the pile with water,
and chloride of lime. The latter will
kill fly maggots, but is expensive,
costing in large lots about three or
four cents pound.
The house fly is something more
than nuisance. 1t is q source of
danger. They are known to be the
carriers of contagion, as has been
proved repeatedly since DIR. Leidy,
during the last war, found they were
the cause of spreading hospital gan
creme. The enforcement, therefore,
in large and small cities of cleanliness
in stables and the compulsory build
ing of receptacles for horse manure
would seem to be worthy the considera-
ton OF municipal boards of health.
The city of Washington some time
ago considered this question of i'm
portance, and the authorities do not
permit filth to lie upon the principal
streets for one day. Along Pennsyl-
vania avenue, F street and all the prin-
cipal thoroughfares during the day
sweepers are at work, with broom and
shovel, removing all breeding places
for flies. Each gang of three or four
sweepers has large sack, fastened to
an axle between two wheels, and when
a load is secured it is carried away.
For the benefit of the street and
health authorities in every community
some OF the suggestions of the Depart
ment of Agriculture are given. The
expert states:
AS we go farther South, the house
fly becomes more numerous and more
tror blesome. The number of genera
tions annually increases as the season
becomes longer, and with the warm
climate the development of the larva
becomes more rapid. A few rearing
experiments were made in this office,
and it was unexpectedly found that
the house fly is difficult to rear in con-
finement. Buzzing about everywhere,
and apparently living with ease under
the most adverse conditions, it is,
nevertheless, when confined in the
warm season of the year to small re-
ceptacle, not at all tenacious of life.
Breeding experiments in confne-
ment showed that the house fly will
lay its eggs freely on horse manure in
an undisturbed condition. When the
manure is spread out the flies will not
lay their eggs on it. They can very
rarely be induced to lay their eggs
upon anything but horse manure and
COW manure, and their preference for
Che former is very marked.
The periods of development were
found to be about as follows: Egg
from deposition to Matching, one third
of day; Matching of larva to first
molt, one day; first to second molt,
one day; second molt to pupation,
tbrao 1ovo. total Iifa ror,l oo,,,or.
mately ten days. There is thus
abundance of time for the develop
ment of twelve OF thirteen genera
tions in the climate of Washington
every summer.
The number of eggs laid by an in
dividual fly is undoubtedly large,
averaging about 100, and the enormous
numbers in which the insects occur
are thus plainly accounted for, es-
pecially when we consider the album
dance and universal occurrence of
appropriate larval food.
A single stable in which q horse is
kept will supply house flies for an ex-
tended neighborhood. People living
in agricultural communities will prob
ably never be rid of the pest, but in
cities, with better methods of dis
posal of garbage and with the lessen
ing of the number of horses and horse
stables consequent upon electric
street railways and bicycles, aud
probably horseless carriages, the time
may come, and before very long, when
window screens may be discarded.
The prompt gathering of horse man
ure, which may be variously treated
or kept in specially prepared recep-
tacle, would greatly abate the fly
nuisance, and city ordinances COM
pelling horse owners to follow some
such course are desirable. Absolute
cleanliness, even under existing cir
cumstances, will always result in q
diminution of the numbers of the
house fly, and in fact most household
insects are less attracted to the
premises of what is known as the old
fashioned housekeeper than to those
Of the other kind