HOUSEFLY CONTROL 5 



Farmers' Bulletin 1227, Sewage and Sewerage of Farm Homes. Until 

 open-box privies can be replaced, fly breeding in them should be pre- 

 vented by scattering enough borax over the excreta every 3 or 4 days 

 to make it white. 





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Excluding and Destroying Flies 



Despite every effort to prevent fly breeding, some flies will be pro- 

 duced, especially under farm conditions. This makes it necessary to 

 take action against the 



flies themselves by de- G f /^ 



stroying them and by • j 



protecting man and 

 his food from them. 

 For these purposes 

 screens, traps, sprays, 

 poisons, and swatters 

 are useful. 



Insect screens. — 

 The value of screens 

 in excluding flies is 

 known to all. Foods 

 in public places as well 

 as those in the home 

 should be protected. 

 Screens should be well 

 fitted, and screen doors 

 should be made to 

 open outward. In 

 humid climates screens 

 of copper, bronze, or 

 one of the corrosion- 

 resisting alloys are ad- 

 vised, while in dry 

 regions galvanized or 

 painted ones are satis- 

 factory. Screens of 14 

 meshes to the linear 

 inch will exclude the 

 housefly, but 16-mesh 

 wire is advised, as 

 other insects must be 

 excluded also. 



F 1 y traps. — L a r g e 

 numbers of houseflies 

 can be captured in traps of proper construction if set in favorable 

 places and suitably baited. 



The conical-type trap is most effective (fig. o). 2 Traps from 12 to 

 18 inches in diameter, with the sides and top built of screen, and with 

 a cone reaching nearly to the top, are recommended. The legs of the 

 trap should be about 1 inch long. The frame of the trap may be made 

 of barrel hoops and laths, as shown in figure 5, or of metal. 



2 More details regarding the construction and operation of traps are given in Farmers' Bulletin 734, 

 Flytraps and Their Operation. 



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Figure 5. — Conical hoop flytrap, side view: A, Hoops 

 forming frame at bottom; B, hoops forming frame 

 at top; C, top of trap made of barrel head; D, strips 

 around door; E, doorframe; F, screen on door; 

 G, buttons holding door; H, screen on outside of 

 trap; /, strips on side of trap between hoops; /, 

 tips of these strips projecting to form legs; K, cone; 

 L, united edges of screen forming cone; M, aperture 

 at apex of cone. 



