FLEAS AS PESTS TO MAN AND ANIMALS. 13 
TRAPPING. 
Following the treatment of host animals and the thorough clean- 
ing up of the premises, as has been outlined, many of the remain- 
ing adult fleas may be caught by the use of traps. 
There seems to be some virtue in the use of lights at night for 
attracting the adult fleas. A small lamp set in a pan of water cov- 
ered with a film of kerosene may be used for this purpose. 
Tt has been found that a considerable number of fleas may be 
collected about a room or cellar by allowing an animal such as a 
guinea pig or cat to be free in the room. The fleas thus concentrated 
on the animal may be destroyed by the methods mentioned under 
“The destruction of fleas on cats, dogs, and hogs.” In districts 
where the plague is known to exist and it is desirable to catch the 
few fleas which may be about the premises, this method is of some 
value. 
ISOLATING AND REPELLING. 
It has been determined that the greatest horizontal distance fleas 
can jump is about 13 inches, and they can not jump more than one- 
half of this distance vertically. It is therefore possible to prevent 
them from gaining access to a bed by placing sticky fly paper about 
13 inches wide on the floor around the bed, provided fleas are not 
breeding out under it. By keeping the bedding from reaching near 
the floor it is also possible to keep fleas out by placing the legs of the 
bed in a pan of water covered with a film of kerosene. 
Many different substances have been advocated as repellents for 
fleas. Among these may be mentioned such plants as pennyroyal, 
and boughs and chips of pine. Naphthalene crystals and pyrethrum 
have also been employed for dusting between the sheets in order to 
repel the fleas from bedding, and these substances, as well as oil of 
pennyroyal and oil of tar, may be used about the household to drive 
out the fleas. 
It should be borne in mind that the methods of trapping and re- 
pelling just discussed are only secondary to the more important 
measures of destroying the breeding places and freeing hosts from 
fleas. 
METHODS OF CONTROLLING THE STICKTIGHT OR CHICKEN FLEA. 
Many of the suggestions for controlling fleas in the household are 
applicable to the sticktight flea. As has been pointed out, this 
species breeds largely in chicken houses and adjacent buildings fre- 
quented by the fowls, although dogs and cats may be important 
sources of infestation. 
