12 FAEMEES BULLETIN 807. 



which are not frequently swept, but which may be visited by pet dogs 

 and cats. The carpets and rugs should be removed, the floors thor- 

 oughly swept, and all of the dust thus obtained burned, as it con- 

 tains many of the eggs and maggots of the fleas. Then the floor 

 should be scrulbbed with strong soapsuds or sprinkled with gasoline, 

 care being taken to avoid having fires about during the procedure. 

 After the floor coverings are thoroughly aired and beaten the}' may 

 be returned, but it is desirable before putting them down to sprinkle 

 the floor with naphthalene crystals or pyrethrum powder. 



In flea-infested regions it is advisable to avoid the use of mat- 

 tings and carpets. These may be supplanted by rugs or oiled floors, 

 wdiich facilitate frequent sweeping and make the destruction of the 

 immature stages easier if an infestation becomes esiablished. 



Among other methods for destroying the fleas in houses the fol- 

 lowing have been tried and recommended : Scatter 5 pounds of flake 

 naphthalene over the floor of an infested room and close the doors and 

 windows tightly for 24 hours. After this period the naphthalene may 

 be swept into another room, and so on, thus making the treatment in- 

 expensive. The free use of alum, both in the powdered form sprin- 

 kled over carpets and rugs and by dipping papers in an alum solu- 

 tion and placing them under the rugs, is said to give satisfactory 

 results. The fumigation of houses with sulphur fumes or hydro- 

 cyanic-acid gas kills all fleas present and in addition destroys the rats 

 and mice. When sulphur is to be employed the infested building 

 should be closed up tightly and the material used at the rate of 

 4 pounds to each 1,000 cubic feet of space. If the immature stages 

 have been destroyed by the methods mentioned, 2 to 3 pounds of sul- 

 phur per 1,000 cubic feet of space will be sufficient to destroy the 

 adults. The sulphur is made into a cone-shaped mass in a good-sized 

 pan or kettle and placed in a larger pan containing water to avoid 

 danger of fire from the heat generated. As sulphur will not burn 

 readily at first a little alcohol is poured into a depression made in 

 the top of the cone, and a match applied. Each room should have a 

 pan of sulphur, and the rooms should be kept closed about 12 hours. 

 As the gas generated from burning sulphur corrodes metals and in- 

 jures plants, it is necessary to remove metal objects and potted plants 

 before fumigation. It is not advisable for anyone to undertake the 

 use of hydrocyanic-acid gas without obtaining the complete direc- 

 tions for its employment contained in Farmers' Bulletin 699, entitled 

 " Hydrocyanic-xVcid Gas Against Household Insects."' This gas is 

 very poisonous, but it is one of the most satisfactor}' for destroying 

 all sorts of vermin in buildings. 



When house infestations are derived from fleas which breed be- 

 neath or around houses, the first step is to clean out all the loose 

 material in which fleas may be breeding and bum it. Then common 



