East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-08-08
, ,Sss%aA~~~~41~~,
To PREVENT OUTBREAK OF .
STABLE FLY. =
: s%%%A%~%~%%~%>%:


confronted with conditions which may
bring about a serious outbreak Of the
stable fly similar TO that experience
in northern Texas and other parts Of
the grain belt in 1912. The so-called
stable fly is the insect which closely
resembles the horse fly but is cap
able Of causing much annoyance 20
live stock by its painful bite, which is
inflicted with sharp proboscis or
beak. It is sometimes spoken of as
the "biting house fly wild fly" or
STRAW fly" When IT is not biting the
point Of this beak may be seen pro-
jecting slightly in front Of the head
The body Of the insect is also slightly
more robust than that Of the housefly
and the abdomen rather more dis
tinctly marked with dark patches.
The unusually large grain crop Of
this year will give rise to a very large
number Of straw stacks. consider
able number of flies are now present
and with a period of rainy weather we
may expect a horde Of them three
weeks later. 1t has been shown by in
yestigations conducted by the Bureau
of Entomology that these flies breed
extensively in fermenting straw. Oat
straw and rice straw are preferred by
the fly for it's breeding, although in
the absence of these the straw of
wheat, rye or barley, if in the proper
state of fermentation. will produce
large numbers Of them.
Manure acts as a breeding medium
throughout the year; this is especi-
ally true of horse manure. The ia
vorableness of this substance for
breeding is increased when straw used
as bedding is intermixed. Although
manure produces a sufficient number
Of stable flies TO prove very annoying
to stock it appears that very severe
and wide spread outbreaks are largely
attributable to the breeding of the
/ pest in straw stacks. The destruction
Of the stable fly in the first INSTANCE
may be brought about by the scat
| tering of the manure upon fields,
thus causing the drying out of breed
| ing material and the consequent de-
struction of the larvae. Where il is
not practicable to scatter the manure
on fields the same results may be ac-
complished by treating it with borax
at the rate OF 60 pounds to s bushels
of manure. The powered borax
should be scattered over the entire
surface of the manure pile. AS fresh
manure is added it should be treated
with borax at intervals of five days to
insure the destruction of the house fly
as we'll as the stable fly. Borax has
used in excessive amounts. 1t is there
fore necessary where the manure is
to be applied to soil for cropping that
quantities not greatly in excess of the
above amount be used on the manure
In the grain growing section the
care of the straw after threshing Is
by far the most important step in the
termined that fermenting oat straw is
far more favorable as a breeding me-
dunn for the stable fly than is wheat
straw or other vegetable matter.
Where rice is grown hordes of flies
are often bred out in the fermenting
straw and chaff from this crop. Oat
straw is also much more highly priced
for feeding live stock than is wheat
straw The shortage of food stuffs
over much of the grain belt for the
last few years has caused the farmers
TO depend largely upon straw to sup
plement other food in carrying their
stock through the winter. The value
attached to oat straw for feed and the
fact that this material furnished the
most favorable place for the breeding
OF the stable fly emphasizes the need
of taking better care of it.
1t is advised that as far as possible
all oat straw be baled and then pro-
tected from the weather. In case
portions of stacks become wet by rains
Z they should be scattered over the
fields or burned as soon as possible,
When it is found impracticable to
handle straw in this way the wet por-
tions of the stacks may be treated
with boraX as described above.
Where it is important that straw be
kept for winter feeding, and baling is
impracticable. the stacks may be i'm
/ proved TO some extent by piling up
the straw and leaving the sides of the
stack practically vertical. II is in the
scattered portions Of the straw stacks
around the base where they fly breeds
in greatest numbers, and by dispos-
ing of this portion of the stack and
leaving the remainder we'll rounded
up. the chances for fly breeding are
much lessened.
To Protect Live Stock From Flies.
The problem of protecting live
stock. especially milk cows and work
animals. from flies is almost contin-
uously before the farmer. Most of
the repelling substances which might
be named are OF only temporary val
ue, as with practically all of them the
flies begin biting again within a very
few hours after application. This
necessitates considerable expense for
the ingredients and the application of
the material. and with many sub
stances some i'll effects are produced
on the host by their continued appli-
cation. 4 mixture of fish oil Il gal
lon). oil of tar e ounces), oil of
pennyroal e ounces), and kerosene
G-2 pinD applied lightly to the parts
most attacked by the flies will tend
to keep them off.
, Work animals may be largely pro-