Household Insects. 93 



cheeses and it is considered a good judge of this dairy product. 

 The parent fly is smaller than the common house fly and like it pre- 

 fers daylight. As the skippers do not cause putrefactive changes, 

 only the portions actually infested need be cut out and destroyed. 

 The flies may be kept away by darkening the room and also by the 

 use of fine screening, a 24-to-the-inch mesh is said to be fine 

 enough. Scrupulous cleanliness and daily examinations in cheese 

 factories will prevent the fly from doing much damage. The in- 

 sect also attacks hams and has been recorded as breeding in 

 bacon. 



Fruit Flies. — ^The housewife is troubled sometimes by small 

 maggots in preserves. They are also found in decaying and fer- 

 menting fruits. Apple pomace produces them in swarms. Cider, 

 vinegar and allied substances are also agreeable to the insect. The 

 small flies deposit eggs which soon produce maggots. Not infre- 

 quently the eggs are placed on the side of a preserve jar and the 

 little creatures work their way through an almost imperceptible 

 crevice into the jar. Preventive measures are found in more per- 

 fect sealing of preserves and keeping them and other attractive 

 substances in the dark, if the flies are at all troublesome. Well 

 fitting, fine screens will exclude the insects from a house. 



Bristle Tail; Fish Moth. — Another insect in the so-called slide, 

 silver fish, bristle tail, fish moth, a small form frequently occur- 

 ring among undisturbed papers, starched goods, etc. This insect, 

 Thennobia funorum, is shown much enlarged at figure 5, and an 

 interesting example of its work is represented at figure 6. Damp- 

 ness is favorable to its existence. It succumbs readily to fresh 

 pyrethrum powder and ordinarily does not cause much damage, 

 unless articles it likes are left undisturbed for years. 



(The assistant to the state entomologist, Mr. Charles S. Banks, 

 attended a number of farmers' institutes and presented substan- 

 tially the same matter as that given in the two preceding papers 

 on ineects.) 



