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Bait Stations 
A special use of baits in fly control is in bait stations, where 
the bait is applied to small pieces of screen to give a supply that will 
last for several months without additional treatment. 
Although the fly reduction obtained with bait stations cannot be 
expected to be SO rapid as with dry scatter baits, experiments indicate 
that in some situations the stations offer a means of baiting once to 
get control that will last for a month or more. In a poultry establish- 
ment where 50 to 100 stations were used, the flies were reduced 90 to 99 
percent for as long as 3 months. The stations furnish their own treated 
surfaces, and where they prove effective it is not necessary to apply 
insecticides directly to any part of the poultry shed. Thus they avoid 
the staining of walls sometimes caused by residual applications, par- 
ticularly of formulations containing sugar. 
Bait stations are not commercially available, but they may be pre- 
pared from plastic-impregnated screening commonly used on poultry farms. 
A 4- by 4-inch piece of screen, with several holes 1/8 to 1/4 inch in 
diameter, is stapled to a wooden tongue depressor,with about half the 
depressor projecting beyond the screen. The screen is slightly bent to 
shield one surface from rain and droppingse The inner surface is then 
coated with the toxic bait. When the bait has dried, the portion that 
has flowed through the holes serves to anchor it to the screen. (See 
photograph on opposite page.) 
Dry baits formulated as described in the table may be used at 
these stations, but they are not so effective as a special bait pre- 
pared according to the following formula: 
5 lb. of granulated sugar 
5 lb. of clean, dry sand 
3/4 lb. of 25% malathion wettable powder, or 
3/8 1b. of 25% Diazinon wettable powder 
Two 3-ounce packages of household gelatin 
(sold in food stores for desserts) 
2 to 2% cups of hot water 
Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients (sugar, sand, and wettable 
powder) in a dry pail. Dissolve the gelatin in 24 cups of boiling 
water in a separate container, and gradually add 2 cups to the dry 
ingredients. Use a trowel or paddle for mixing; do not expose your 
bare hands to insecticides. The bait should be the consistency of a 
thick paste. If too wet it will not adhere to the screen and if too 
dry it may crumble. It may be necessary to add some of the other half- 
cup of dissolved gelatin. Apply the thick paste to the screen with a 
paddle or old knife, and allow it to dry overnight. 
