FLIES.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 22 November 1916, Page 6

FLIES.

The co-operation of local authorities as earnestly desired in an effort to ■combat the fly pest in this district. Flies are amongst the most dangerous insects known to man . Ihej aic capable of carrying germs of \aliens diseases on their legs and in their intestines and of disseminating such „erms over articles of food and drink. Their habits are filthy, they breed and live in filth, and carry filth about with them on their legs and bodies, and deposit it on food. They have a disgusting habitTof regurgitating or vomiting; food, and by this means also noxious matter may be disseminated. Volumes could be written about their filthy habits, but enough has been said to indicate the desirability of a concerted effort to minimise the evil. Flies are at ; present extremely scarce, hut with the advent of the .warmer weather they will increase ■with the greatest rapidity. They are extremely prolific. An adult female lays as a rule from 120 to 150 eggs at one sitting; these, under favourable circumstances, hatch out into maggots in from one to four days. These maggots become fully grown in about one week when their skin becomes hardened, changes from white to brown, and the maggot becomes a motionless pupa. Inside the hard'pupa case a metamorphosis takes place and the crawling grub becomes in a few days a fully formed fly, which emerges from the case, becomes sexually mature in a week or ten days, and capable of depositing eggs about' 4 days after maturing. Under favourable conditions as to moisture and temperature eggs may become mature flies in about 10 days, and the second generation may lay their eggs 10 days later. Imagine the appalling fecundity of such an insect. One writer has estimated that one fly can readily produce approximately 6,000,000,000,000 descendants in a single season, providing that all the progeny survive, which is fortunately unlikely. However, it shows the necessity of acting promptly before flies become numerous.

BREEDING PLACES. The fly will breed in almost any fermenting organic matter or rubblsn, provided it is fairly moist. Horse droppings and stable sweepings are Us favourite site. It is also partial to human excreta, using this not only for hatching the eggs, but also as a source of food supply. House refuse, garbage, rotting rags and paper, decaying . vegetables and fruit, and other organic matter also serve its purpose. POOD. —As far as food is concerned , the fly is most catholic in its tastes, the milk jug or savoury pie having a close rival in the privy pan and spittoon. PREVENTIVE MEASURES. Our efforts must first 1 be directed towards an elimination of breeding places. We must then endeavour ro •cut oif the food supply and kill off as many individual flies as possible, i have' 1 * already indicated the principal breeding-places of this insect, and as .horse manure and stable refuse are | fhe the favourite sites for breeding, attention should be carefully directed to such. • By-laws should be made (or if already made, enforced) requiring stables to be constructed with impermeable floors properly drained and easily cleanable. All horse droppings should be fre■quentty swept up and deposited in a manure bin protected from flies by a suitable lid. Such manure should be removed at least once a week, and if possible £wice a week in summer. Storage of manure in railway depots or other parts of the Borough should be prohibited. Yards and paddocks must also be kept free from manure. Streets must be kept clean in a similar manner. In addition to the above, it is advisable that collections of manure should be treated with some preparation to kill such flies and maggots as may be present. The following solution sprayed or sprinkled on the surface of manure is invaluable: — Arsenittr of Soda, 8ozs; Treacle, half-pint; Water, 20 gallons. Chloride of Lime spread over the surface is also useful, as is kerosene or crude petroleum. The above measures, if thoroughly taken in hand by the local authority will, in themselves minimise the pest and also ensure that the horses and livestock in tnu stables are able to rest instead of being constantly worried by these insects.

An effort must be made to do away with privies where a water carriage system is available, and in other cases require privies fo be fly-proof. The addition of a little kerosene to the pan is very effective in keeping flies away from these structures. Household refuse and all garbage or nvhatevennature must be kept in Im-

permeable receptacles, with a closely fitting lid closed, and such refusemust be removed by the local authority at least weekly. Frequent inspecjf ■ t: tions'of yards and premises should be made, and if any refuse is found uncovered, legal action should at once be taken. . There should be no half measures ‘and no repeated warnings. Where possible, refuse should be 'incinerated by the local authority, but where this is not possible -householders should be urged to destroy all organic matter in the kitchen range, putting only ashes in the refuse hm. Refuse depots must be strictly supervised anfi rubbish kept covered with earth. All food shops must be closely supervised and no food must be exposed to which flies are attracted. The general public should be advised to keep all food screened from flies and endeavour to kill as many of them as possible by constant use of fly-traps, fly-papers, insect powders, etc. A useful poison is to. add an ounce of formalin to a pint of milk and water and expose same in dishes about the rooms. It is essential for the success of this poison that no other liquid be left uncovered for flies to resort to. School teachers should be approached to endeavour to interest the children in the matter, and the noy scouts, if interested, will often render valuable aid in locating and destroying breeding-places. The public press should be approach ed so that they may help by urging all householders to keep a watchful eye on all rubbish and garbage to prevent its accumulation and to prevent the access of flies thereto, to keep all premises, yards and outbuildings clean, and to trap, poison, and kill flies within and without the house. SYDNEY SMITH, District Health Officer.