FLYTRAPS AND THEIR OPERATION 



F. O. BiSHOPP, Entomoloylst, Investigations of Insects Affecting the Health of 

 Animals, Bureau of Entomology 



Uses and limitations of flytraps 1 



Kinds of flies caught 1 



Types of traps 2 



Trapping the screw-worm fly 11 



Page 



Baits for traps 12 



Bait containers 13 



Care and location of traps 14 



Sticky fly papers 14 



USES AND LIMITATIONS OF FLYTRAPS 



FLYTRAPS have a distinct place in the control of the house fly 

 and other noxious fly species. There is a general tendency, how- 

 ever, for those engaged in combating flies to put too much dependence 

 on the flytrap as a method of abating the nuisance. It should be 

 borne in mind that flytrapping is only supplementary to other 

 methods of control, most notable of which is the prevention of breed- 

 ing either by completely disposing of breeding places or by treating 

 the breeding material with chemicals. 



It may be said that there are two main ways in which flytraps are 

 valuable: (1) By catching flies which come to clean premises from 

 other places Avhich are insanitary and (2) by capturing those flies 

 which invariably escape in greater or less numbers the other means of 

 destruction which may be practiced. Furthermore, the number of 

 flies caught in traps serves as an index of the effectiveness of cam- 

 paigns against breeding places. 



Flytrapping should begin earhj in the spring if it is to he of 

 greatest value. Although comparatively few flies are caught in the 

 early spring, their destruction means the prevention of the develop- 

 ment of myriads of flies by midsummer. 



KINDS OF FLIES CAUGHT 



The various species of flies which are commonly annoying about 

 habitations or where foodstuffs are being prepared may be divided 

 roughly into two classes: (1) Those which breed in animal matter, 

 consisting mainly of the so called blowflies, including the screw- 

 worm fly;^ and (2) those which breed in vegetable as well as in 

 animal matter. In the latter group the house fly ^ is by far the most 

 important. The stable fly is strictly a vegetable breeder, as are also 

 certain other species which occasionally come into houses and in rare 

 cases may contaminate foodstuffs. The stable fly.^ which breeds in 



^ Chrysomya macellnria Fab. ' Musca domestica L. ^ Stomoxys calcitrans L. 



1 



42280°— 2.5 



