^78 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



" restrain, confine " Villa that he may cease 

 murdering Americans. Shall our nation 

 cease trying to protect its peaceful citizens? 



"god's kingdom coming/' 

 The Christian Herald for April 5, after 

 recording the startling progTess prohibition 

 is making in Canada and neighboring prov- 

 inces, closes with these words: 



The nation-wide, the race-wide war on the liquor 

 traffic which is being waged by Christ's followers 

 is one of the signs of the establishment of his king- 

 dom in accordance with this prophecy: "They shall 

 not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain ; for 

 the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, 

 as the waters cover the sea. — ISA. 11:9. 



Notice the words, " The establishment of 

 his kingdom." 



BEDBUGS, "jiggers," FLEAS, AND OTHBE "VARMINTS." 



Friend A. I. Boot: — I suppose you are right in 

 the flush of the redbug season. The little pests are 

 just beginning to crawl out from their winter hid- 

 ing-places here. I have read with much interest all 

 you have had to say regarding that insect. For 

 more than thirty years I have been battling with 

 them every season, and have learned how to dimin- 

 ish, somewhat, the annoyance they create. I vrrote 

 to Dr. Riley, Chief of the Division of Entomology, 

 Department of Agriculture, Washington, a good 

 many years ago, for information regarding the jig- 

 ger, or redbug. He said there were two varieties, 

 belonging to the flea family — the Penetrans and the 

 Imitans. They are found everywhere south of the 

 Potomac and Ohio rivers, but more numerous in the 

 gulf states. They are white and invisible until filled 

 with blood, when they can be seen by some per- 

 sons with the naked eye. Grease or strong essential 

 oils rubbed on the parts exposed to them will keep 

 them away. 



I have tried many methods and substances, and 

 have settled down to the following plan: After being 

 exposed to them by being out in the bushes or weeds, 

 bathe vdth carbolic soap or a few drops of carbolic 

 acid in the bath water in a wash-dish. To stop the 

 itching and burning, I moisten the places with strong 

 ammonia water into which I have mixed enough oil 

 of citronella to make the mixture pleasantly aromat- 

 ic (I use the same for bee-stings) ; then rub about 

 the ankles and other parts troubled a mixture of 

 kerosene with moth-balls dissolved in it, and enough 

 oil citronella to make a pleasantly fragrant lotion. 

 Before going out into jiggery places rub some of the 

 moth-ball-coal-oil liniment about the ankles and 

 wrists, etc. They hop on to our clothing and crawl 

 into the meshes of the cloth, and many remain there 

 for days or weeks ready to devour us when we put 

 them on. 



To head them off, last year for the first time I 

 cut the top out of a five-gallon honey-can, pounding 

 down the rough edges smoothly, placed my jiggery 

 garments loosely in the can, poured about a tea- 

 spoonful of bisulphide of carbon on a rag, quickly 

 laid it on the garments, and covered the can with, 

 first, a piece of soft towel paper, then with a piece 

 of board weighted down. In half an hour or longer 

 there were no live redbugs in my clothes. I could 

 put them on and feel sure of getting no more bites. 

 Fleas, seed-ticks, bedbugs, chicken-mites, nor any 

 other insect, can live long in the bisulphide fumes. 

 But lie very careful not to have any fire near the 

 bisulphide. 



Mentone, Ala. Dr. C. P. Parkke. 



Thanks for suggestions, doctor. I am 

 glad to say redbugs have given us very 

 little trouble here during the past winter. 

 Our remedy is a strong solution of sal- soda. 

 As soon as you feel the itching, give the 

 place a good scratching and then apply the 

 solution. It will, doubtless, make it smart 

 at first, but it is soon over, and the insect 

 is killed. It should be applied, however, 

 just as soon as you discover you have been 

 bitten. 



MITES, CRUDE OIL AS REMEDY. 



Mr. A. I. Root: — I just read your article in Nov. 

 15th Gleanings on sticktight fleas and mites. I 

 was bothered with mites for two years after buying 

 some roo-sters. I let them get quite a start before 

 I noticed them. I cleaned my hen-house every 

 morning, so I thought there was little danger of 

 insects, but I have found by experience that, with 

 several hundred hens, it is necessai-y to spray often 

 and keep close watch. I tried moth-balls and coal oil 

 in the nests. Of course I burned all straw, etc., injthe 

 boxes and charred tlie boxes ;is soon as I discovered 

 the mites, and sprayed with coal oil, soapsuds, and 

 crude parbolie acid; but still I had mites under the 

 roosts, and places where spray didn't reach. So I 

 got crude oil, nasty black stuff, and painted roosts 

 and sides of walls. Of course I did that several 

 times in all coops ; but it did the work. I have no 

 more mites, and have had none this season. Of 

 course hens get daubed ; but it soon wears off. 



I have found spraying vi^ith strong bluestone water 

 to be effective with fleas. I think they must be 

 short-lived, as they disappeared, so I don't think 

 they breed on the fowls. Of course a person can 

 grease chickens' heads, which will kill the fleas; but 

 that would be some work with several hundred hens. 



Manteca, ,Cal., Dec. 12. Ernest E. Warren. 



As long as the crude oil remains "dauby" 

 and sticky, mites are pretty sure to stay 

 away. I am glad to add we have not found 

 a mite on our premises here during the past 

 winter, and it is several years since I have 

 seen a " sticktight " flea. As the country 

 becomes settled up, I think these itsually 

 disappear. Even " redbugs " now trouble 

 very little. 



REDBUGS, PINE-NEEDELBS FOR MULCHING. 



Mr. A. I. Root: — I have before me your reply to 

 my letter of Feb. 25, in Gleanings for Nov. 15. 

 After reading it I asked my sister-in-law, who has 

 lived in Florida some time, if the redbugs there were 

 the same that we have here, and she said that they 

 are the very same. Now, you may never have seen a 

 redbug ; but I am sure I have seen a great many of 

 them. They have to stay on long enough to get full 

 of blood, however, before they can be seen. At that 

 stage they appear as a very tiny red speck that is 

 hard to see. We have also the chicken-mite here, 

 and it is a very bad customer. As to the mulched 

 potatoes, I don't know why the bugs did not bother 

 them; but I think the pine needles kept the ground 

 so moist that the tip-burn, which is said to be caused 

 by drouth, did not get a chance at them. I don't 

 think the odor had anything to do with it. We use 

 dead pine needles here for mulching, bedding s*°- 

 bles, and for some other things. They make fi 

 bedding for stock. 



Areola, N. C, Dec. 1. J. P. Huntkb. 



