﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  I908 
  25 
  

  

  various 
  species, 
  although 
  annoying- 
  and 
  under 
  certain 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  dangerous, 
  sink 
  into 
  insignificance 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  common 
  

   house 
  fly. 
  

  

  Habits. 
  The 
  house 
  fly 
  subsists 
  entirely 
  upon 
  fluids 
  taken 
  up 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  the 
  fleshy 
  tongue. 
  It 
  apparently 
  feeds 
  with 
  equal 
  gusto 
  

   upon 
  fresh 
  manure, 
  decaying 
  vegetable 
  matter 
  or 
  the 
  daintiest 
  

   culinary 
  preparations. 
  This 
  catholicity 
  of 
  taste 
  frequently 
  results 
  

   in 
  flies 
  feeding 
  greedily 
  upon 
  exposed 
  discharges, 
  in 
  open 
  vessels 
  

   or 
  poorly 
  constructed 
  privies, 
  from 
  patients 
  suffering 
  from 
  

   typhoid 
  fever 
  or 
  other 
  grave 
  intestinal 
  diseases. 
  The 
  hairy 
  legs 
  

   are 
  thus 
  fouled 
  with 
  thousands 
  of 
  deadly 
  bacilli 
  and 
  countless 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  germs 
  are 
  swallowed. 
  Shortly 
  thereafter 
  the 
  same 
  

   flies 
  may 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  and 
  incidentally 
  contaminate 
  the 
  food, 
  

   to 
  the 
  great 
  peril 
  of 
  the 
  consumer, 
  with 
  the 
  germs 
  adhering 
  to 
  the 
  

   limbs 
  and 
  those 
  deposited 
  with 
  undiminished 
  virulence 
  in 
  the 
  

   familiar 
  fly 
  specks. 
  This, 
  while 
  disgusting 
  and 
  abhorrent 
  to 
  every 
  

   sense 
  of 
  decency, 
  occurs 
  repeatedly 
  in 
  nature 
  and 
  is 
  apparently 
  

   ignored 
  by 
  the 
  masses, 
  despite 
  the 
  deadly 
  peril 
  incurred. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  abundant 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  this 
  insect 
  breeds 
  by 
  

   preference 
  in 
  horse 
  manure, 
  though 
  it 
  also 
  occurs 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  

   extent 
  in 
  cow 
  manure 
  and 
  in 
  miscellaneous 
  collections 
  of 
  filth 
  and 
  

   specially 
  decaying 
  vegetable 
  matter. 
  The 
  parent 
  insects 
  deposit 
  

   their 
  eggs 
  upon 
  manure 
  and 
  similar 
  materials, 
  the 
  young 
  maggots 
  

   hatching 
  therefrom 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  24 
  hours 
  and, 
  under 
  favorable 
  

   conditions, 
  completing 
  their 
  growth 
  in 
  five 
  to 
  seven 
  days 
  later. 
  

   The 
  maggots 
  then 
  transform 
  to 
  the 
  oval, 
  brown, 
  resting 
  or 
  pupal 
  

   .stage, 
  remaining 
  therein 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  seven 
  days. 
  The 
  life 
  cycle 
  

   i.s 
  thus 
  completed 
  in 
  10 
  to 
  14 
  days, 
  the 
  shorter 
  period 
  being 
  true 
  

   of 
  the 
  Avarmer 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  particularly 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   Washington, 
  D. 
  C. 
  One 
  fly 
  may 
  deposit 
  about 
  120 
  eggs, 
  and 
  as 
  

   there 
  may 
  be 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  generations 
  in 
  one 
  season, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  surprising 
  

   that 
  this 
  insect 
  should 
  become 
  extremely 
  abundant 
  by 
  midsummer. 
  

   Calculations 
  show 
  that 
  under 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  the 
  descendants 
  

   from 
  one 
  fly 
  might 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  season 
  reach 
  the 
  stupendous 
  

   number 
  of 
  over 
  190 
  quintillion. 
  Dr 
  Howard's 
  studies 
  show 
  that 
  

   as 
  many 
  as 
  1200 
  house 
  flies, 
  in 
  various 
  stages, 
  might 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   one 
  pound 
  of 
  manure. 
  At 
  this 
  rate, 
  one 
  good 
  load 
  of 
  manure 
  

   ri 
  light 
  produce 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  million 
  flies. 
  Fortunately, 
  breeding 
  

   is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  warm 
  months, 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  flies 
  wintering 
  in 
  houses 
  

   in 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  dormant 
  condition. 
  

  

  