SCREW- WORMS A>,D OTHER MAGGOTS. H 



exercised in handling cattle will result in fewer scratches and bruises. 

 Systematic dehorning of all cattle will largely prevent one source 

 of injury, namely, that from hooking. This also tends to prevent 

 some barbed wire and other scratches which result from animals 

 endeavoring to escape the horns of others. 



It is important that all corrals and pens be examined occasionally 

 and projecting points, nails, and wire likely to cause injury to stock 

 removed. A few minutes spent in this way will often save hours in 

 treating screw-worm cases. Wheie practicable, smooth or woven wire 

 should be substituted for barbed wire. 



CLEARING OF PASTURES. 



Since dense brush and undergrowth are favorable to screw- worm 

 breeding, every eifort should be made to improve this condition. 

 While clearing of lands is more applicable to small pastures, some 

 large stock raisers now have cleared thousands of acres of the most 

 dense undergrowth. This procedure increases the grass production, 

 makes the finding of dead animals or wormy animals more easy, and 

 facilitates the handling of stock on the ranges. 



DESTRUCTION OF TICKS. 



A large percentage of screw-worm infestation follows tick attacks. 

 Where systematic dipping for ticks is carried out, the number of cases 

 of screws-worms is materially reduced. Heavy infestations of ticks 

 other than the cattle tick ^ often are follow^ed by an infestation of 

 screw-worms. This is true of the Gulf Coast tick,^ which attacks the 

 inside of the ears of horses, mules, and cattle. While the usual sys- 

 tem of dipping will not completely destroy this and ticks other than 

 the cattle tick, it wall reduce their numbers markedly. Furthermore, 

 where cattle infested with screw-worms are dipped in an arsenical 

 solution, many of the maggots are killed. 



POISONING AND TRAPPING FLIES. 



As supplementary measures for reducing the number of .screw- 

 worms and other blow^flies, flytraps such as the hoop trap recom- 

 mended by the Department of Agriculture (see Farmers' Bulletin 

 851) and certain poisoned baits may be utilized. By placing these 

 traps in convenient places in the i)asture, particularly near watering 

 places, Avhere they may be visited occasionally by riders, a large 

 number of adult flies can be destroyed. It is best to place them on a 

 platform slightly larger than the trap, on the side of a tree or on top 

 of a post from 3 to 5 feet from the ground and in a place protected 



^ Margaropus annulatus (Say). - Amhlyomma maculatum Koch. 



