Education Department Bulletin 



Published fortnightly by the University of the State of New York 



Entered as second-class matter June 24, 1908, at the Post Office at Albany, N. Y., under 



the act of July 16, 1894 



No. 465 ALBANY, N. Y. February 15, 1910 



New York State Museum 



John M. Clarke, Director 

 Ephraim Porter Felt, State Entomologist 



Museum bulletin 136 

 CONTROL OF FLIES 



AND 



OTHER HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



BY 



EPHRAIM PORTER FELT Sc.D. 



INTRODUCTION 



The discovery that the common house fly may, under certain 

 conditions, play a most important part in the dissemination of 

 tuberculosis, typhoid fever and other diseases of the alimentary 

 tract, has effected in recent years a marked change in the at- 

 titude of the public toward this very prevalent nuisance. This 

 statement should not be construed as meaning that the common 

 house fly is necessarily the principal agent in disseminating the 

 above mentioned diseases, though it would not be surprising, 

 were we fully acquainted with the facts, to find that this familiar 

 and almost universally tolerated species has been much more ac- 

 tive in this respect than hitherto suspected. An insect, breeding 

 as does the house fly upon organic matter, and feeding indis- 

 criminately upon material which may be literally swarming with 

 deadly germs, and other substances likely to be used as food, 

 can hardly be regarded as other than a menace to human life 

 and happiness. 



Recent discoveries respecting the part played by insects in the 

 dissemination of malaria, yellow fever and typhoid fever, read 

 like a romance. Mosquitos as distributing agents of malaria have 



