OF THE APPROXIMATELY 500 species of fleas 

 known to exist, less than one dozen are of special 

 interest as pests to man and domestic animals, but any 

 individual of one of these few species, when bent upon 

 satisfying its appetite, fully occupies the attention of 

 its chosen host. 



The human flea, dog flea, cat flea, sticktight flea or 

 chicken flea, and the rat fleas (which carry the bubonic 

 plague), are the principal species that annoy man and 

 domestic animals in the United States. 



The main steps in control, as described in this bul- 

 letin, are the elimination of breeding places and the 

 destruction of fleas on the infested animals. If breed- 

 ing places receive proper attention the premises often 

 will be cleared of fleas, even though little or no atten- 

 tion is given to the animals themselves. 



Fleas breed in greatest numbers in accumulations of 

 vegetable and animal matter protected from wind and 

 rain, but at the same time furnished with shade and a 

 certain amount of moisture. All live stock should be 

 prevented from going beneath buildings, the vegetable 

 and animal matter carefully cleaned up, and the ground 

 where the immature fleas are developing covered with 

 salt and thoroughly wet down. House infestations may 

 be prevented by eliminating pet animals and applying 

 gasoline to the floors after all rugs have been removed 

 and the floors thoroughly scrubbed with soap and 

 water. Washing pet animals in a comparatively weak 

 solution of saponified creosote or kerosene emulsion 

 will destroy the fleas upon them. 



