POULTRY PESTS 183 



Spray. Meantime the poultry house should be thoroughly- 

 cleaned by removing all nests, nesting material, roosts and 

 other interior fixtures and spraying thoroughly with crude 

 petroleum, kerosene, or one of the coal-tar products. 



Scalding. Equipment, such as brood coops and ship- 

 ping crates, when infested, can be treated by scalding thor- 

 oughly with boiling water. When there is every indica- 

 tion that the blue bugs have been eradicated, the birds 

 may be returned to the house. 



CHIGGERS (RED BUGS OR HARVEST MITES) <^ >> 



Chiggers are found and are quite trouble- HfisH 



some in the southern and likewise the central *^^iia3oy^ 

 western states. The chigger, or red bug, f ] 



before it develops to the adult stage, is A i].';.!'".' L 

 microscopic in size, red in color, and has six M '"'" K* 

 legs. After developing, or reaching the f vffj'/ | 

 adult size, they become larger and visible to 

 the eye, although still very small in size. ^Xgger^^M ^•■r"fd 

 Chiggers breed in tall grass and are partic- enlarged. *YFrom 

 ularly abundant in low marshy land. Banks.) 



They attack the fowls and the chicks while they are on 

 range, biting and penetrating the skin, usually under the 

 wings, on the breast and neck, causing annoyance and 

 itching. Soon after the chiggers penetrate the skin, an 

 abscess is formed and becomes inflamed. The presence 

 of these mites, especially on chickens, results in the birds' 

 becoming weak, with httle disposition to eat, and they 

 finally die from hunger. 



Remedy. The remedy is either one of prevention or 

 application. 



Keep the grass down. The most satisfactory method 

 of exterminating chiggers is by keeping the grass cut or 

 grazed short on ground where the fowls range. 



Ointment. To treat the birds individually, apply 



