Norwich bulletin., 1918-06-19
/. THE LICE AND MITES ARE
 COMING.
How They Can Be Successfully Dis ga posed. of-Need to be Fought.

With the coming of warm weather.
 poultry lice and mites find natural conolitions most favorable for their de-. velopment. They will increase very
 rapidly and will cause considerable
 loss unless promptly taken care of. Since the habits of lice and mites are entirely different, methods of control must be different.
 Poultry. lice are found either on the
 skin or on the feathers of the bird.
 They are supplied with biting mouth
 parts and. live on scales from the skin,
 and in some cases, the barbS of the feathers, They are present on nearly all poultry, but are not particularly troublesome if the hens are provided with a good place to dust and take care of themselves. Tbe kind of lice which cause most trouble with Connecticut poultry are commonly called the large body lice The adult is from one tenth to one- eighth of an inch long and light yellow in color. If present on the bird, they may be found in the fluff feathers | just below the vent.
 | The two common methods of control are with lice powder and mercurial
 ointment The effectiveness of mer- curial ointment, together with the l ease of application, has made this ] treatment very popular wherever tried. :, Use mercuriaI ointment and vaseline, 1 equal parts Rub piece about the size of pea well into the fluff feathers ! just below the vent. One application 1 wifi treat about five hundred hens. l Growing stock may be treated in the
 same way if they are feathered out i If not entirely feathered out, small
 amount may also be used under the 1 wings. Treatment for young stock l should not be necessary unless they
 were brooded under badly infested l hens.
 l Poultry. mites, commonly called rec Il mites are unlike lice in that they dc
 not live on their host They live il | the cracks and crevices in the roosts | under the roost supports or on some i nearby woodwork. They are some | times found in nest corners and 1T
 breeders. They conceal themselve:
 during the day and go onto the hens
 or chicks at night and suck the hens II blood, then return to their. hiding \ place. If present in large numbers
 they cause the hens considerable un
 easiness and loss of flesh. Egg pro
 duction is. of course. greatly de
 creased. Red mites are. very de structive among growing chickens ant
 they have been known to kill settin: hens.
 Red mites may be successfully dis posed of by painting the roosts anC
 nearby. woodwork, together with othe parts of the house or coop where the. appear with some of the coal-tar prod ucts, such as Carbolynum. CrudS
 carbolic acid and whitewash appliet
 with a spray pump are effective ant make a good disinfectant for the whol interior of the house. If grease o tallow are applied to the roosts at tn beginning of the season mites are yer. seldom troublesome. Mites do no prosper if there is no place left fo them to conceal themselves during tn day. Painting the roosts with kero
 sine is not effective and is not wort while, 1t is well to apply any lie paint in the morning on dry day S that the roosts will be dry by night otherwise. the birds feet may becom s sore.
 If there is any truth in the provert "A stitch in time saves nine" it S true in the fight against red mites s Roy D. Jones, Extension Poultryma1 < Connecticut Agricultural College