Mexico Missouri message., 1918-10-10


tight Flea.
and certainly the fieas materially re-
duce the egg production, retard the
growth of fowls, and diminish their
size.
The eggs are deposited by the adult
flea while 1t is attached to the host.
They fall to the ground under the
roOst in chicken houses or under sheds
frequented by the poultry and there
| continue to develop. When dogs and
cats are infested, the immature stages
develop largely In the material used
by them for beds. They require com"
paratively dry material in which to
breed. but large amount OF air moist
ure Is favorable to them. Adults OF
this species continue to emerge from
Infested trash for four or five months
after all hosts have been removed;
hence it is easy to understand why
chicken houses may still have many
feas in them after being unused for
considerable periods.
A few other species of fleas are oc-
easionally found in poultry houses.
| Some of these may be normally bird
infesting species, while others are at
home In the houses of domestic poul-
try. Infestations by these fieas have
been reported from several places In
the Northern states, particularly in the
Northwest. The presence of the he1s
Is usually first detected by persons en-
tering chicken houses and being at
tackled by them. These fleas do not
| remain attached to the host continu-
ously as does the sticktlght flea.
As a preliminary step 1t is well to
see that the poultry are kept away
from other animals as far as, possible.
Especial care should be exercised to
keep dogs and cats from lying about
the chicken yards or places frequent
ed by the poultry. All animals, and
| the poultry as well, should be exclud-
ed from beneath houses and barns, as
such places are favorable for flea de-
velOpment and difficult to treat If they
become Infested. These precautions
: should be followed by a thorough
| cleaning out OF the chicken house and
| Outbuildings frequeDted by the poultry.
All of the material should be hauled
a good distance from the buildings and
scattered. The places where the tieas
are thought to be breeding should
then be sprinkled with crude oil.
1t is rather difficult to destroy the
sticktlght flea on fowls without injur-
ing the host. 1t is desirable, however,
In the case of heavy infestations to de-
stroy as many of the fieas as possible.
This can be accomplished by carefully
applying carbolated 2asellne TO the
clusters of tieas on tke fowls, or greas-
ing them with kerosene and lard-one
part kerosene to two parts lard. In
all cases care should be taken that
the applications of grease are con-
fined to the seat of infestati0n. II Is
important that dogs and cats be freed
from sticktight fieas. This may be
accomplished by washing them in a
| sapOnified coal-tar creosote prepara-
tion, or by greasing the most heavily
infested parts with kerosene and lard.
Rats sometimes harbor these feas in
considerable numbers, therefore their
destruction win aid in the control work
as wen as doing away with another
troublesome chicken pest
The thorough cleansing of poultry
houses and runs and the application OF
crude petroleum will be found to aid
In the control Of other important els'
niles of fowls, such as mites aud chick,
en- ticks or "blue bugs"