The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-07
FLBAS INVADE THE CITY.
Washington People Suffer From an
Epidemic Of the Insects.
No Class of Society Escapes Their
P"stiferous Gyrations - Fashion
nDIe Homes Closed for the summer
Prove to he Fine Breeding Grounds


HDIe Homes Closed for the Summer
Prove 10 BE Fine Breeding Grounds
An epidemic of heas has descended upon
Washington. Unlike the aggressive but
some what fasti6IOuS insect OF glorious
memory which preferred the blood or an
EUSIishman." these OF the local variety
display "a greater cathoHcity of taste, and
are quite willing 20 fatteu and grow great
not only upon the life stream Of Am.rI-
cans, but are fam TO prey upon the do
nestle cat and dog as well. In fact, the
species Of flea most likely TO be found in
dwelling houses is not the Pulex Irritans.
OF human flea. but rather the PuieX serra-
ticeps. OF common flea of the cat ana dog
The greatest number OF complaints we
hear said r. II. Chittenden. Assistant
EntomoIogist of the Department OF Agri-
culture. comes from families which have
been absent for the summer and have re
turned to find their dwellings overrun
with the pest.
Pleas propagate very rapidly under
certain conditions OF moisture when left
undisturbed. The daily sweeping and
shaking of rugs and carpets are great
factors in preventing their increase, and
obviously when the house is closed Tor
the summer and the customary sweeping
interrupted the very conditions are fur
nished under which they most rapidly
propagate. Houses where a pet cat or
dog is kept are, Of course. most likely 20
be infested The human flea is very rare
ly met with in civilized countries.
As the eggs Of the puIex serraticeps are
not attached TO the hairs Of cats and dogs,
but simply deposited among them, num-
bers of them are likely to drop of when
the animal moves or lies down. For the
housckecper who wishes to avoid having
the pest In the house, and still wishes 10
keep a pet a plan suggested IS to pro-
vide a rug yr piece Of carpet Tor the ami
NAL to sleep on and give this rug thor
ough shakings and brushings. afterward
burning the dust accumulated
Many people call on the entOm0l0gist
seeking some means OF relief from the
TnweIcone visitation. A story is told Of
! one gentleman who attempted to solve the
difficulty in a rather unique manner. He
I encascd his neither limbs in ieEginEs i'm
! prOvised Of taugle-fOot iy-paper Sticking
side OUD and walked through the rooms
trusting TO the weII-known procIivity Of
the flea to jump at conclusions. to lure
him to a sticky doom
For those who do not care 10 follow this
! genueman's example list Of remedies
/ furnished by L. O. Howard. EntOmologist
( OF the Department o. Agriculture, IS
| given:
The larvae OF the dog and cat flea Will
not develop successfully. in situations
where they are likely 20 be disturbed. The
/ use Of carpets and straw rnattIngs. in our
! opinion. favors their Development. since
! the young larvae can penetrate the iutes-
tines Of either sort Of floor covering and
/ find an abiding place ~ some crack
/ where they are not likely TO be disturbed
! Il is comparatively easy 10 destroy the in
sect in its early stages when it is MOTTO
I ed, as is shown by the difficulty Of rear
i ing IL, but the adult fieas are so active
and so hardy that they successfully resist
any but the most strenuous measures
| Even the persistent use Of California bu-
Z bach and other pyrethrum powders was
I Intellectual in one case Of extreme infes-
/ tatiOn, as was also. and more remark
/ ably. a free sprinkIing Of floor rnattings
with benzine. In this instance it was f.
/ naIly necessary 20 take up the floor COW
/ erings and wash the floors down with hot
/ sOapsuds In order 90 secure relief from
I the flea plague. In another case. however.
/ a single liberal application OF buhaCh was
! perfectly successful, while in a third a
I single thorough application OF benzine
/ completely rid an infested house Of feas.
f TO sum up: Every house where a pct
I dog or cat is kept may become seriously
/ infested with feaS y the proper c0ndi-
J tons Of moisture and freedom from dis
/ iuTDance exist. Infestatlon, however. IS
/ not hkely TO occur II the (bare) floors
/ can be frequently and thoroughly swept
] When an outbreak Of neas comes. how
I ever. the easiest remedy 20 apply IS a free
/ sprnkliuE or pyrethrUm powder in the in
/ Tested rooms This failing. benzine may
/ be tried. a thorough spraying OF carDetg
] dHd HooIs belng undertaken, with the eX-
/ ercise or due precaution in seeing that no
/ ASAls or ures are In the house at the time
. or the application. or for some hours aft
/ eEWaTq Finally. II the plague IS not thus
/ ahdJed, al! floor coverings must be re-
! moved and the floors washed with hot
/ spapsucs- This is a useful precaution to
! take IN any house which IL IS proposed 10
/ close Tor the summer, since even a thor
/ oAEn sweeping may leave behind some
/ rev hea eggs from which an aII-DerVad-
ing swarm may develop before the house
Speaking Of the flea epidemic TODAY Dr.
/ william c Woodward. the District
] Health Officer. said that he was aware
That the teas had become very numerous
/ ana troublesome In Washington recently
/ He stated that an epidemic Of insects
/ was matter that the Health Department
] cpuld not take COgniZanCe OF in an Off
/ clal manner, for the reason that IL Is not
included among the duties Of the Health
/ once TO deal with flies, heas or mosoui-
toes
DT. Woodward said that the most tba+
I h. could do would be 10 tell the public
/ that the office could not deal with the
question. and 10 advise complainants that
I the best-kuown remedy for clearing rooms
or houses OF the pest would be 10 diSin-
Irct with sulphur fumes In doing this
ne SAID II would be necessary 10 remove
metals and fine fabrics. 10 close the
/ rooms and 70 burn from one to three
pounds Of sulphur in each room accord
ing 10 it's size.
Dr. Woodward stated that he had been
! informed that good results had been OBJ
/ tanned from the liberal use Of Persian
/ insect powder It should be SprinkIed
about the floor the doors, and the window
I sills- lie said ne had been informed that
/ a house IN the city had recently been rid
| OF the pest in this way.