﻿BULLETIN OF THE 







No. 14 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology, L. O. Howard, Chief 

 February 28, 1914. 



(PROFESSIONAL PAPER.) 



THE MIGRATORY HABIT OF HOUSEFLY LARVAE AS INDICAT- 

 ING A FAVORABLE REMEDIAL MEASURE. AN ACCOUNT OF 

 PROGRESS. 



By Robert H. Hutchison, 



Scientific Assistant. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the proceedings of the third meeting of the General Malarial 

 Committee held at Madras in November, 1912, there is given a 

 summary of a paper on "Insect Psychology" by Prof. L. M. Howlett. 

 From Ids experiments with fruit flies, the stable fly, and mosquitoes 

 he comes to the conclusion that "we must regard insects not as 

 intelligent beings consciously shaping a path through life, but as 

 being in a sort of active hypnotic trance." Also, that "once we 

 discover the stimuli or particular conditions which determine a 

 mosquito's actions we hold the key to the position, since we can 

 then apply our knowledge to the mosquito's undoing." The second 

 statement might have been made as general and inclusive as the 

 first. One often hears expressed a general proposition to the effect 

 that the problem of the control of any insect is very largely a prob- 

 lem of its behavior. If its habits are known, some means of control 

 are usually not far to seek. Thus in the warfare against the common 

 housefly there are two important lines of attack based on a knowledge 

 of the habits of the adults. In the first place, advantage is taken 

 of their feeding and drinking habits in the use of such things as 

 sour milk, formalin and milk, beer and sugar, the fly poisons, etc., 

 as bait for traps or as poisons. Secondly, a knowledge of the egg- 

 laying habits of the female leads to the use of covered fly-tight 

 receptacles for manure, garbage, or other fermenting material. 

 Both of these methods are based on a knowledge of the habits of 

 the adults. The question now presents itself, Is there any phase 

 of the behavior of the larvae which may afford a line of attack ? Do 

 they have any characteristic habit of which advantage may be taken 

 in attempts to destroy them ? 



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