French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-05-24
POULTRY MITES.
Crude Petroleum Sprays and Sanitary
Measures Make Yards Habitable.


, Lice by day and mites by night fur
nish the unhappy condition of poultry
kept under insanitary surroundings.
Treatments for lice are not effective
for mites because the latter work only
at night. making raids on the fowls
from their hiding places in crevices of
the roosts and cracks of the ibuIlding.
To destroy mites and keep LII mock
lree or their depredations, insecticide
sprays and a sanitary building are
necessary. In Mites n Lice on
poultry" Farmers Bulletin sol, +. c.
Bishop and h. p. Wood. of the Blu
reau OF Entomology, United states De-
partment OF Agriculture. tell how a
complete renovation can be done.
Inc presence OF mites is indicated
by small black n white specKs on the
.rOostS-the eXcrement of these in
sects. The first step is to get rid of
the hiding places SO far as possible.
The roots should be taken down and
ali unnecessary boards and boxes re-
moved. In heavily infested houses
the mites are to be found in all parts OF
the building including the roof. Where
they are less numerous. the intesta-
lions usually are confined to the roots
and nests and the wall Immediately adj
! Jacent. For small coopS a hand ato-
mizer will suffice for applying insecti-
clues as sprays, but for larger houses
a bucket pump, knapsack sprayer, or
barrel pump IS desirable. A-raLheT
coarse spray should be applied from
all angles and thoroughly driven into
the cracks. The should be treat
, ed as many mites fall to the noor Wnen
the roosts are beng removed.
Of the several materials that have
proved effective, one OF the so-callec
Wood-preservers, consisting of certain
coal-tar products, known as anthra'
Gene Oil with zinc Chord added, has
given particularly good results. Its
~repelling power lasts Ior months. The
cost is ABOUT 81 a gallon, but twice The
quantity may be Obtained, but twice the
with equal parts OF kerosene.
Crude petroleum is almost as eifec
tive, retains it's killing power for sew
eral weeks, and n most Localities il
very cheap. 1t will SPRAY better i
thinned with one part utkerosene t.
four parts OF crude oil.
Both OF these materials often con
tain foreign particles W Aich should b'
, strained out before spraying is begun
1t has been found that n thorough
application of either of these mate
rails will completely eradicate tn
mites from an infested chicken house
but ordinarily it is advisable to make
a second application a month after th'
first, and in some cases a third treat
ment is required. These ~subsequen
applications may be made with
brush, using the materials pure ant
covering only the roosts. their sup
ports, the walls adjoining, and tn
nests if they are infested This methot
of e~lication is effective for the hrs
treatment also if the houses are no
heavily infested. Poultry should b.
kept out of the treated buildings unit
the material is we'll dried into tn
wood.
Used as a dip, crude petroleum viii
also destroy the small mite which
! causes scaly leg. In dipping for thl
mite the solution should not be allow
ed to reach the flesh above the infcsta
ton or to get on the feathers.-C. :
Dept. Agri. Weekly News Letter.