14 farmers' bulletin 897. 



It has been found that a considerable number of fleas may be col- 

 lected about a room or cellar by allowing an animal such as a guinea 

 pig or cat to be free in the room. The fleas thus concentrated on the 

 animal may be destroyed by the methods mentioned under the head- 

 ing, " How to kill fleas on cats, dogs, and hogs" (p. 10). In districts 

 where the plague is known to exist and it is desirable to catch the few 

 fleas about the premises, this method is of some value. 



ISOLATING AND REPELUNG. 



It has been determined that the greatest horizontal distance fleas 

 can jump is about 13 inches, and they can not jump more than one- 

 half of this distance vertically. It is possible, therefore, to prevent 

 them from gaining access to a bed by placing sticky fly paper about 

 13 inches wide on the floor around the bed, provided fleas are not 

 breeding out under it. It is also possible to keep fleas out by placing 

 the legs of the bed in pans of water covered with a film of kerosene, 

 if the bedding is prevented from reaching near the floor. 



Many different substances have been advocated as repellents for 

 fleas. Among these may be mentioned such plants as pennyroyal 

 and boughs and chips of pine. Naphthalene crystals and jiyrethrum 

 have also been employed for dusting between the sheets in order to 

 repel the fleas from bedding, and these substances, as well as oil of 

 pennyroyal and oil of tar, may be used about the househo],d to drive 

 out the fleas. 



It should he home in inlnd thcct the methods of trcvpptng and re- 

 pelling just discussed are secondary to the more important measures 

 of destroying the hreedmg places and freeing hosts from feas. 



METHODS OF CONTROLLING THE STICKTIGHT OR CHICKEN FLEA. 



Man}' of the suggestions for controlling fleas in the household are 

 applicable to the sticktight flea. As has been pointed out, this species 

 breeds largely in chicken houses and adjacent buildings frequented 

 by the fowls, although dogs and cats may be important sources of 

 infestation. 



As a preliminary step it is well to see that the poultry are kept 

 away from other animals as far as possible. Especial care should 

 be exercised to keep dogs and cats from lying about the chicken 

 yards or places frequented by the poultry. ^Vll animals, and the 

 poultry as well, should be excluded from beneath houses and barns, 

 as such places are favorable for flea development and difficult to 

 treat if they become infested. These precautions should be followed 

 by a thorough cleaning out of the chicken house and outbuildings 

 frequented by the poultry. All of the material should be hauled 

 a good distance from the buildings and scattered. The places where 



