BULLETIN OF THE 



USIMlINTOFA^IlllID 



No. 200 



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

 May 4, 1915. 



A MAGGOT TRAP IN PRACTICAL USE; AN 



EXPERIMENT IN HOUSE-FLY CONTROL. 



By R. H. HuTCHisox, Scientific Assistant. 

 INTRODUCTION. 



During the season of 1913 experiments were carried out independ- 

 ently by Levy and Tuck at Richmond, Va., by C. G, Hewitt at 

 Ottawa, Canada, and by the writer at Arhngton, Va., and New 

 Orleans, La., all of which agreed in demonstrating a most pro- 

 nounced migratory habit in house-fly larvae just before pupa- 

 tion. It was found very easy to trap them at this particular stage 

 of their development, and experiments with small maggot traps 

 showed that as high as 98 or 99 per cent of the larvse could be caught. 

 At the suggestion of Mr. W. D. Hunter the writer has made an 

 attempt durmg the past season to apply the principles of the maggot 

 trap to practical use and to test its efficiency when used to destroy 

 the maggots in large masses of manure. In this article are reported 

 the results obtained from experimental work along this line, con- 

 ducted at the Maryland Agricultural CoUege at College Park, Md. 

 Dr. H. J. Patterson, president of the college and director of the 

 experiment station, has been most generous in his cooperation in 

 this work, and through him the materials and labor for the con- 

 struction of the trap were supplied. The writer wishes also to 

 acknowledge the helpful suggestions of Profs. T. B. Symons and E. N. 

 Cory, of the college. 



LOCAL CONDITIONS WITH REGARD TO FLY PREVALENCE AND BREED- 

 ING PLACES. 



The college was selected as a suitable place for conducting the ex- 

 periment, partly because the conditions with regard to breeding 

 places for flies seemed such that it would be easy to dctormino 

 whether or not the maggot trap was effective. The college is sojne- 



NoTE.— This bulletin dcscrllxiH the operations of a raagfjot trap based on tlic mli^ralory habit of 

 hmjwyfly nia'/KoU JuMt i>cforo pupation. It will l.o of interest to all f;innor.s and to llioso indnslrics in 

 which the a- cumulation of refuse may encourage the prjjjjagation of the house tly. 

 82262*— Bull. 200-15 



