54 R. Ni5W8TEAD — THE PAPATACI Fl.IES (PHLEBOTOMUS) 



and angles of sleeping apartments should be sprayed with a 1 per cent, solution 

 of this substance every day during the season in which the flies are prevalent ; 

 a fine spraying apparatus is necessary for its application, and an excessive 

 amount must not be applied. It is considered an excellent plan also to spray the 

 mosquito curtains regularly every day towards sunset ; nets thus treated are 

 claimed to repel the attacks of these insects. 



Fu)in(/atiuu. — There are several substances which are employed as furaigants 

 for the destruction of insects, but I fail to see the practical utility of employing 

 such means for the destruction of Papataci flies in Malta or elsewhere. 



Liglit. — Daylight is a most important factor in driving away these insects 

 from man's dwelling-places, and directly a flood of light is admitted to a room in 

 which Papataci flies may be present, they immediately seek places of concealment 

 behind garments or draperies and pictures, or other furniture which may be 

 suspended from the walls or placed in dark corners. It is important, therefore, 

 that as much light shovild be admitted into the rooms as is possible, and this can 

 easily be done either in the early morning or evening, or when the windows are 

 lying in shadow. 



Beds should be arranged in the best-lighted portions of the room, and on no 

 account should children's cots be placed in out-of-the-way corners in deep 

 shadow. Decorative drapery in such apartments should be abolished, and the 

 walls rendered as free from pictures and other furniture as possible. 



Artificial light does not, unfortimately, act as a repellent ; on the contrary, it 

 would appear to serve as an attraction for these insects, as it is well known to do 

 with other groups belonging to widely ditferent orders. 



Artificial air movement. — In India, if not also in other parts of the tropics, 

 it is a recognised fact that punkahs and fans will repel the attacks of mosquitos 

 if continuously and properly employed. It seems to me, therefore, that if a 

 similar method could be applied in Malta, we should be able to dispense with 

 almost every other form of prophylaxis which is discussed in this report. As it 

 has been abundantly proved that Papataci flies do not take to wing when the 

 slightest breezes are blowing, one may safely infer that they would not face 

 a strong current of air such as would be produced by either fans or punkahs. It 

 is unlikely that the latter will ever be employed in Malta, but it is my firm 

 belief that if electric fans were fitted so as to produce a current of air in the 

 direction of the window in sleeping apartments, that very few, if any, of the flies 

 would be able to pass through the open window into the room beyond. I 

 venture to recommend, therefore, that this method be put to the test, and if 

 found to give satisfactory results, that it be employed in all cases where the cost 

 of running such an apparatus is not a serious consideration. 



Traps. — ^If a modified form of the biscuit-box trap, such as is used for 

 capturing mosquitos, were fixed high up in the dark corners and angles of the 

 rooms, I believe that numbers of Papataci flies would be entrapped. The trap 

 should be made in the form of a corner-cupboard in miniature, and should 

 measure about 18 inches in length ; the basal portion should be left open, and 

 the interior should be lined with dark cloth or similar material. Tliese should 

 be examined daily and the flies killed with ammonia fumes. 



