The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-24

housefly. Its abdomen is smooth and
dark colored and the fly has a sprink-
ling of yellow hairs. 1t is apt to be
sluggish in it's movement, especially
in the fall and therefore can be picked
up readily. 1t is subject to a fungus
disease which causes it to die upon
window panes surrounded with a
white effervescence. Sometimes this
fly becomes so numerous in a house
as to become a pest, but such cases
are not frequent.
Another stable fly, almost exactly
like the housefly in appearance, does
not bite as does the stomoxys call
c1trans. 1t breeds upon decaying
vegetation and manure and is an ac-
tive agent in the distribution of filth
and germs. Several varieties of green
lsh or blush flies having a metallic
lustre also are to be found about the
house. The most numerous is the
b~lue-bottle fly, which is also called
the bloW-fly or NEATLY, because it
breeds in decaying animal material.
There are several smaller species of
house flies, and a fruit-fly. which fire.
quently is found to be attracted by
the odor of over-ripe fruit. Each of
these is capable of carrying thousands
of disease germs, aside from the an
noyance their own presence causes.
All these different species together,
however, are small in numbers in
comparison to the common housefly.
Out of collections of flies found in
dining rooms in different parts of the
country over 80 per cent of the whole
number captured were the musca do
mestica, or common housefly.
The favorite breeding place of the
musca domestica is the horse stable,
although, failing that, garbage cans,
Stops or any collection of f~ermenting
vegetable matter will suffice. 1t seems
to take the eggs longer to mature in
some localities than others. A scien-
fist experimenting in Massachusetts,
reared a generation in IA days. The
duration of the egg state was "a
hours, the larval state from five to
seven days, and the pupal state about
the same period. An experiment made
in washington last year, in midsum-
mer, indicated that the female. lays
at one time about 100 eggs which
hatch in eight hours. The larval
period with these eggs lasted less
than five days and the pupal five
days, making the total time for the
development of a generation of young
flies about ten days.
The greatest preventative measure
for the development of the houseflv is
the avoidance of accumulation of sta
bic refuse. In the cities where prop
er street cleaning conditions prevail
this may be comparatively easy, as
special regulations can be made for
livery stables. In the country the
problem presents greater difficulties.
Experiments have been made as 70
the possibility of treating refuse with
ar, Stacked lime and, other prepara-
tons as a preventative of fly breed
ing, but so far the results have not
been satisfactory.
IN smaller towns where the provi-
slons for street cleaning are limited
the collection of table refuse has
been one of the features made promi-
hent IN the anti-fly ,crusades. Pub
lie spirited citizens have contributed
money to pay for this work, and in a
number of instances it has been un-
dertaken by school children. In New
York state the Boy Scouts RECENTLY
nave taken up a certain amount of
street cleaning with a view to flv en-
termination.
In some localities the fight for the
humiliation of the mosquito has been
taken up eve more strenuouslv than
that of the fly. In Atlantic City this
spring the t~oWnspeople and the civ
officials are uniting in their effort
with such a vigilance as to encourap
the upVDlIt hone that tLo "
TINS year will be much less prevalent
at that well known resort than for
merly. The Jersey skeeter" long
has been recognized as the chamnion
OF his race, and yet the measures ta-
Ken TO overcome him are expected to
nc qui'e as effective within the next
lew years as those which banished
'le more malignant yellow fever mos
quito from Panama and Cuba. At a
meeting called for this purpose in At
iahlc 'Hy last month a numbe of
experts gave advice as to the best
method OF procedure to be undertaken
LOT immediate results in that locality
appropriations have been made for
d liberal use of germicide and oils
"hich VIII be used wherever any stag
Haht waters are found. An improved
system or drainage is being outlined
IN the surrounding territory and a
rlsld inspection will be maintained
throughout the season in quest of anv
collection of water in vessels or nools
which might afford a breeding nlace
IL IS quite possible for a beer hottie |
thrown IN a corner by a careless tour
ISL, to accumulate enough water in ,
summer shower to breed thousands Of
mosquitoes within a few DAYS, A ver-
ltable plague of mosquitoes has been
traced TO a case of empty beer bot
Ties allowed to remain uncovered in
a PACK yard in the summer
me drainage of marshland. both in
New Jersey and California. has been
most effective in reducing the
scourge and improving the sanitary
of the states. In slightly
marshy grounds. the footprints of
horses n cattle may breed mosoui-
toes n the men in charge of the
pubic roads are spraying all such
expressions with a germicide or low
grade OF Kerosene. The use of kero-
sehe mas been found to be one of the
pest remedies for the spread of mos