INSECTS INJURIOUS TO DOMESTIC ANIMALS, ETC. 687 



Chickens suffer in some regions from the attacks of a flea, the 

 Chicken Sticktight Flea (Echidnophaga gallinacea Westwood). 

 This flea is occasionally found on dogs and cats, and on other 

 animals, but is known for the most part as a pest of chickens. It 

 occurs in the southern and southwestern states more abundantly 

 than elsewhere. This flea is dark in color, almost black, and 

 differs from other fleas in its feeding habits. When once it starts 

 to feed it is difficult to dislodge while other fleas are correspond- 

 ingly difficult to get to stay in one place. Bishopp reports that as 

 high as 85 per cent of the young chicks have been killed by this 

 flea and injury to older fowls is considerable. They infest first 

 the heads and necks and later the bodies of the hosts, being present 

 throughout the year. 



In control of the flea it is necessary, first to keep poultry away 

 from other animals which may act as carriers; then clean out the 

 chicken houses as for control of the mites, soak the floors, if of 

 earth, with salt water and spray the house as for mites, but 

 preferably with crude petroleum or with a solution of creolin, 

 Treat all possible breeding places with the same substances and 

 shut the chickens out from those which it is impossible to treat. 



The fleas themselves on the poultry may be killed by treating 

 the infested portions with carbolated vaseline or with kerosene 

 and lard. Destroy rats as these sometimes harbor the fleas. 



Other fleas which some- 

 times infest poultry may be 

 controlled in the same man- 

 ner as the one above . 



A rather new poultry 

 pest, found in the South- 

 west only, is the Fowl-tick 

 (Argas miniatus Kock). 

 Chickens may be killed by 



this pest and certainly no 



..,,., , / . FIG. 601. The fowl tick: adult female, 



infested chicken can thrive. upper an d lower sides. Greatly en- 

 The appearance of the tick larged. (From Bishopp, U. S. Dept. 

 j'-cr L r xi_ f A S r -) 



is not different from other 



ticks and large mites. Young remain attached to the hosts for 

 several days but the older ticks feed at night only, hiding in cracks 

 during the day as do the mites. Treating the house with crude 



