Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-26
LATEST INDOOR SPORT
IS TRAPPING FLEAS
Agricultural Department Classics
and Tells How to Catch
Them.
Creolin Baths for Dogs and Fly
paper for Men Among the
Suggestions.

Though a person may think stick
tight flea is just the ordinary flea of
commerce. he is Il distinct species all
by himself, declares the Department of
Agriculture in new bulletin. An ar
ticle on Remedies for Fleas" in this
weeks News Letter has the following:
"Of the approximately 400 species of
fleas known to exist. the human flea,
the dog flea, the cat flea, the rat flea
which carries the plague-and the
sticktight flea are the varieties which
most commonly affect human beings
and domestic animals.
THE sticktight flea differs from the
others in that when it has once at
tached itself to a host 1t remains with
it's mouth parts immovably imbedded
in the flesh. Chickens suffer in partic-
ular from this pest, and for this reason
it is sometimes called the chicken flea.
It is frequently seen in dense masses
also on the ears of dogs and cats. 1t
is difficult to loosen it from its hold
and it's destruction therefore presents
some difficulties. Fairly good results
are obtained from the local applica-
ton of kerosene and lard in the pro-
portions of one part kerosene and three
parts lard. but if used too freely this
may injure poultry.
Creolin Baths for Dogs.
In the case of other species the in
sects hop about much more freely. and
may OF. may not, therefore, be found
at any given time on their hosts. When
dogs or cats, however, are found to be
suffering. bath in 3 per cent solu-
ton of creolin will probably be found
to be effective. A sufficiently accurate
method of making such a solution is
to add four tablespoonful Of creolin to
each gallon of water. Warm water
should be used. and the animal placed
in tub with the solution in it. stiff
brush should then be used to work the
solution into the hair. particular care
head of the animal. The bath should
last five or ten minutes, after which
the creolin should be rinsed off and the
animal washed with warm water and
soap.
"rhis treatment is desirable for cats
and will prevent the skin of the most
delicate animal from being burned.
Finely pulverized moth balls worked
into the fur of the cat are also useful.
The naphthalene in the moth balls
drives the f1eas out of the hair. They
emerge in a stupefled condition and can
then easily be killed.
Insect powder, sometimes called
pyrethrum, buhach or Dalmatian insect
.
Fresh, unauthorized pyrethrum is nee
essary to secure satisfactory results
Trapping the Pests.
Persons whose houses, pet animals or
live stock are infested with fleas are
warned in the new publication of the
department that it is almost hopeless
to get rid of the pest if no attention
is paid to the breeding places of the
insects.
Various methods of trapping fieas
have been tried at one time or another.
but none of these appear to be of as
much practical value as the methods
ALREADY discussed. 1t is we'll to re-
member. however. that the flea cannot
jump upward very far-a few inches
being the usual limit-and for this
reason if the legs are protected a per-
son is rarely bitten. In plague-infest-
ed areas, where it is of the utmost i'm
portance to prevent even single flea
from biting a man. fly paper has some
times been wrapped around the legs
and the f1eas that jump against it have
been caught and killed in this way. In
badly infested regions it is also posi-
BILE to isolate the bed, if sufficiently
high. by taking care to keep the cloth
ing from hanging down. If the legs of
the bed are sufficiently rough to enable
the f1eas to climb up them, they should
be placed in large pans of water or fly
paper should be wrapped around them.