Mites and Lice on Poultry. 7 



are repelled for a long time. This material is rather expensive — 

 about $1 a gallon — but since the number of treatments necessary to 

 control an infestation of mites completely is less than when any 

 other known material is used, its applicatioin is strongly advised. 



Crude petroleum, while not as effective as carbolineum, retains its 

 killing power for several weeks, and in most localities is very cheap. 

 Since it does not dry into the wood so rapidly it is more likely to soil the 

 fowls and clothing. Both of these materials can be sprayed better if 

 reduced with kerosene at the rate of about 1 part of kerosene to 3 parts 

 of the other materials. Both of them often contain foreign particles 

 which should be strained out before the spraying is begun. It has been 

 found that one thorough application of either of these materials will 

 often completely eradicate the mites from an infested chicken house, 

 but ordinarily it is advisable to make a second application a month 

 after the first, and in some cases a third treatment is required. These 

 subsequent applications may be made with a brush, the materials 

 bemg used pure and only the roosts, their supports, the walls 

 adjoining, and the nests if they are infested, being covered. This 

 method of application is effective for the first treatment also if the 

 houses are not heavily infested. Poultry should be kept out of the 

 treated buildings until the material is well dried into the wood. 



It is advisable to spray or paint chicken coops a few days before 

 putting broods of young chicks into them. 



In spraying hen houses care should be exercised to prevent the 

 spray from striking chickens around the building. This is especi- 

 ally important with young chicks. 



Pure kerosene and kerosene emulsion in double the strength ordi- 

 narily applied to plants will destroy all mites hit, but these sub- 

 stances have not body enough to destroy those mites which are in 

 more protected situations, and several applications at 10-day inter- 

 vals are needed to destroy all the mites. 



Arsenical dip, such as is used to destroy cattle ticks, has been 

 found fairly satisfactory for use against chicken mites. Several 

 applications are required to eradicate the mites from poultry houses. 

 In regions where cattle dipping is practised and this solution is 

 readily available, it is perhaps the most convenient and cheapest 

 material to use. Of course due care should be taken to avoid the 

 accidental poisoning of the fowls. The standard coal-tar stock dips, 

 used in solutions slightly stronger than are recommended on the cans, 

 will destroy all mites reached by the spray, and in addition their 

 germ-destroying properties are a desirable feature. 



In tests made by the writers lime-sulphur solutions such as are 

 used against scale msects proved much less effective than the insec- 

 ticides already mentioned. Standard indoor whitewash ^ with 5 per 

 cent of crude carbolic acid or cresol added gives good results, although 



1 Methods of making whitewashes are discussed in Farmers' Bulletin 474 of the Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



