Graham guardian., 1909-09-03
BEWARE OF THE DANGEROUS
HOUSE-FLY

Flies are the most dangerous in
sects we have. They are much
more dangerous than bees or hornets;
these may sting you, and the sting
is painful, but you soon get over the
pain. Flies do much more harm
than this. They walk over filthy
places, like sewers and garbage cans,
and after eating the filthy food
which they find there, they come
into your house and walk on the
food you eat, carrying on their feet
the tiny germs which live in filth
just as you live in a house. These
germs are not only filthy and dis
gusting, but many of them cause
such diseases as typhoid fever,
cholera infantum and summer COM
plant. When the flies bring them
from some dirty place to your food
or leave some of them when they
crawl on your face or hands, you
may swallow these germs without
knowing it and be taken i'll with
one of these diseases. So the fly
that seems so harmless may do you
much more harm than a bee or a
hornet.
Your parents should place screens
at their doors and windows during
the warm weather, to keep the flies
out of the house. If they cannot
screen all the rooms, they should
screen those in which food is kept;
and if anyone is sick in the house,
flies should be kept from the sick
room, so that they may not carry
germs from the sick person to the
rest of the family.
Children may help to keep flies
from swarming in and around
houses, and from carrying germs of
sickness from one person to another.
In the first place. they should not
buy candy, fruit or other food
which is left in front of stores or
anywhere else where flies may feed
and walk on it. Flies lay their
eggs chiefly in stable manure, and
if this is left without screens or
other covers to keep the flies away,
great numbers will be Matched in
every stable. Ifyou know of stores
where food is not covered from flies
or of stables that have swarms of
them around, get your father or
mother to write to the Board of
Health about them, and the Board
will make the store-keepers or
stablemen obey its rules. But be-
fore you report other people for
being careless and dirty and so
making it possible for flies to be-
come nuisance, be sure that your
own house is clean, and that no
garbage cans or boxes are left un-
covered to attract flies.
If you and all the people you
know will follow this advice, there
will not be nearly so many flies to
plague you in hot weather, and
there will not be nearly so much
sickness and death, especially among
children, as now.
RULES FOR DEALING WITH THE FLY
NUISANCE
Keep the flies away from the sick,
especially those i'll with contagious
diseases. Kill every fly that strays
into the sick room. His body is
covered with disease germs.
Do not allow decaying material
of any sort to accumulate on or
near your premises.
All refuse which tends in any way
to fermentation, such as bedding,
straw, paper waste and vegetable
matter should be disposed of or
covered with lime or kerosene oil.
Screen all food.
Keep all receptacles for garbage
carefully covered and the cans
cleaned or sprinkled with oil or
lime.
Keep all stable manure in vault
or pit, screened or sprinkled with
lime, oil or other cheap preparation.
Cover food after a meal; burn or
bury all table refuse.
Screen all food exposed for sale.
Screen all doors and windows, es-
pecially the kitchen and dining
room.
Don't forget, if you see flies, their
breeding place is in nearby filth. 1t
may be behind the door, under the
table or in the cuspidor.