The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-06-15
THE HOUSE ELY.

the house fly. 1t outnumbers many
times over all other insects found in
our homes. It's commences causes
| us to overlook it's presence, or too
often we accept it as necessary mat
ter Of course, or at most as slight
nuisance, and make no endeavor to
| free ourselves of it's presence. Were
| the habits of the insect known much
ado would be made whenever the dis
gushing fly is found in our homes.
The ordinary flies with which we
are familiar have not always existed
in that form. Flies are the adult
stages of maggots, and between the
maggot stage and the adult stage there
| is a pupa stage, a time when the in
sect is motionless and helpless. Mag
gots hatch in few hours from eggs
laid by the adult house fly. A single
| fly lays on an average one hundred
and twenty eggs. The duration of the
maggot stage is about five days. The
pupa stage lasts five days more, at
the end of which the pupa becomes the
mature fly. Accordingly in ten days
complete generation of house flies
may have been born, raised and have
begun laying the eggs for another gen.
Grafton. Because of the short dura-
ton of the life cycle from ten to four
teen generations are produced in the
course of single summer.
But very few house flies survive
the winter, and almost all of them
stay in our houses during the cold
months. The very few which escape
freezing, parasites, mould or disease
awaken in the spring to lay eggs for
10 frcf IF ho
then on house flies increase in number
in geometrical ratio until they quickly
become a pest.
Manner of Development.
The one hundred and twenty eggs
laid by the house fly are all placed
in fresh horse manure. If that can
not be found and human excrement
is available it is made the second
choice. Within a day the eggs have
Matched to maggots, which proceed to
feed on this filth. Five days of feed
ing suffces to nourish them to their
full growth, whereupon they change
to pupae. This change is accom-
plished by shrinkage, toughening
and darkening of the maggot's skin.
Within this skin the maggot changes
"
takes about five days more, but dur
ing which no food is consumed. From
what we have just observed concern
ing the food Of the maggot it will be
seen that the bodies of house flies are
merely transformed excrement.
1t is not an infrequent matter to find
manure alive with wriggling maggots.
Hence 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 house fly, but
develop into blue bottle 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. mas
much as the transformation to adult
takes place in the midst of filth the
first meal of the fly Is frequently as
foul as it's earlier feelings.
The adult fly is essentially house
insect. When it has deposited it's eggs.
or even before, 1t seeks to enter
some house where it finds plenty of
food, as we'll as warmth and shelter.
Promiscuous Habits.
Flies are indiscriminate feeders.
They may be found feasting in pan
try 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 take up solid
food. Hence, when flies feed In the