The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-09-13

fly, a process which takes about five
days more, but during which no food
is consumed. From what we have
just observed concerning the food Of
the maggot it will be seen that the
bodies of houseflies are merely
transformed excrement.
1t is not an infrequent matter to
find manure alive with wriggling
maggOts. Hence a single stable or
an uncovered clubhouse Is abundantly
able to supply flies to great many
houses.
The maggots found in decaying
meat are not those of the househy,
but develop into bluebottle flies
which occur at times in houses.
They are also filthy creatures. Other
maggots besides those of the house
fly may develop in excrement.
Having tasted during their pupal
stage, which has continued over one
half of their lives, flies resume feed
ing when they become adults. In
asmuch as the transformation to
adult takes place in the midst of
filth, the first meal of the fly Is fire.
quently as foul as it's earlier feed
ing.
The adult fly is essentially house
insect. When it has deposited its
eggs. or even before, it seeks to enter
some house where 1t finds plenty of
food as well as warmth and shelter.
Flies are indiscriminate feeders.
They may be found feasting in pantry
or on table as well as reveling in the
fOulest matter. The mouth parts of
the fly consist of pump-like' ar
rangement connected with the stom-
ach. BY means of this they are able
to suck up liquids. but possessing no
Jaws they can never partake Of solid
food! Hence when flies feed in the
sugar bowl, it is not solid sugar they
are eating, but sugar dissolved by
the fluid from their salivary glands.
Flies deposit the fluid on much more
food than they actually eat!
The six feet of fly are each pad
ded with pair of brush-like cush-
ions. These cushions are damp and
the hairs forming them make ad-
mirable agencies for collecting dirt.
Coming from its bed of filth the new
ly transformed housefly is necessarily
contaminated, and its hairy body and
brush-like feet are laden with dirt
and germs. Whenever a fly walks
it spreads these germs, rendering I'M
clean everything 1t touches. When
ever fly flies it's buzzing wings
scatter germs.
During the Spanish-American war
| typhoid fever was prevalent in the
concentration camps. Lime was
thrown over the infected fecal matter
in the pits where flies were swarm
ing. The flies on the mess table at
the next meal had whitened legs and
backs, showing conclusively whence
they came.
1t is well known that the excreta
of typhoid patients contain virulent
germs for some time before and
after the illness. Should these
germs be carried to the food of an
other person he is apt to be stricken
with fever. Flies breeding or feed
ing in places containing virulent, but
perhaps unsupported, germs. are able
to infect supply of food---in the
market. pantry, or on the table.
A fly drinks from the gutter the
sputum of consumptive. Its legs
and hairy body become contaminated
with germs of the disease, and its
buzzing wings scatter them in the
air. Pneumonia, cold, grippe,
cholera and various intestinal dis
orders may be, and are, spread in this
manner to healthy people, through
the agency of the housetiies.
| 1t has been proven that the flies
feeding on typhoid germs may trans
nit virulent germs in their own ex-
creta. Hence the familiar ely
specks"-so familiar often on dishes
and food stuffs-may be another
grave source of danger.
1t is objectionable carelessness, il
is almost criminal negligence to per-
nit this pernicious pest in our homes.
Its suppression Is not a matter of
difficulty.
Screened windows and doors, and
the use of sticky fly paper avail much,
but the most certain method of re-
ducing the numbers of houseflies is
to attend to their breeding places.
Manure heaps should be so covered
that flies are deprived of a breeding
place. Stable droppings should he