26 BULLETIN 248, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



and semiweekly wettings with water. Along the coast salt water 

 from the Gulf is used extensively for this purpose. The soil must be 

 thoroughly wet, as light sprinklings of the surface will not suffice. 

 The watering is most effective when done in the evening, as drying 

 does not proceed so rapidly then as during the day. Mr. D. L. Van 

 Dine, in treating premises infested with the dog flea in Hawaii, 

 used a dressing for the ground under the houses consisting of 20 

 pounds of air-slaked lime, 3 pounds of, sulphur, and 1 pound of 

 buhach. This mixture was applied after the ground had been 

 thoroughly cleared of all refuse. The outbreak was completely con- 

 trolled in these cases, but it is difficult to say just what part the above 

 dressing played, as the destruction of the adult fleas was undertaken, 

 as well as other measures. 



The breeding of the sticktight flea may be prevented to some 

 extent by the use of metal chicken houses, as is advocated for the 

 fowl tick. 1 These galvanized-iron houses provide less protection for 

 fleas than do frame structures, and the intense heat within them dur- 

 ing the daytime practically prohibits flea breeding. The dog house 

 should be cleaned out thoroughly at weekly intervals, and if any flea 

 breeding starts the method of destroying the insects, as outlined in 

 the preceding paragraphs, should be followed. By providing a few 

 gunny sacks or a mat for infested animals to sleep upon, it is 

 possible to concentrate the eggs on these. The eggs may be de- 

 stroyed then by shaking the cloths over a fire or even out on the 

 bare ground in a place exposed to the sun. This should be done 

 about every second day in order to prevent hatching. 



Attention is directed to house infestations, which, by the way, 

 are often supplemented by infestations under the houses or in other 

 out-of-door situations. The occurrence of fleas in dwellings is 

 often connected with the keeping of a cat or dog indoors. If this 

 is the apparent source of infestation, the animal should be treated 

 as previously described and kept out until the indoor work is 

 completed. 



If the hosts have been confined largely to one room, this is the one 

 to receive most careful attention. The floor covering should be 

 removed, aired, and beaten, the floor thoroughly swept, and all of 

 the dust obtained should be burned, as it contains many immature 

 fleas. It is best, then, to scrub the floor with strong soapsuds or 

 sprinkle it with gasoline, being careful to avoid having fires about. 

 After sprinkling naphthalene crystals or insect powder over the floor, 

 return the floor covering. 



Dr. Henry Skinner, of Philadelphia, found that he could control 

 fleas -completely in a house by taking one room at a time, scattering 



i Bishopp, F. C. The fowl tick. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Ent., Cir. 170, 14 p., 5 figs., 

 1913. 



