THE COMMON HOUSE FLY To Banish Flies. — The preferred breeding place of the house fly is the manure pit of horse stables. The female lays about 120 eggs, which hatch in six or eight hours. The mag gots or larvae reach full growth in four or five days, and become adult flies in about five days more. Hence in the United States a single genera tion is bred in about ten days, and twelve to fifteen generations on an average every summer. Thus enor mous numbers of flies may be hatched in a single manure pile.
The only effective means to prevent or reduce this nuisance is to board up a portion of the barn cellar, or build a lean-to against the horse stable hav ing a tight trapdoor or screened win dow admitting to the stable, and a tight door to permit of removing the manure. Such precautions to prevent the entrance of flies, and thus to de prive them of their natural breeding place, have been proved by experience in Washington and other cities to greatly abate this nuisance.
In France the Matin, a Paris news paper, offered a prize of 10,000 francs during the winter of 1905-6 for the best means of lessening this nuisance. The prize was awarded by scientific men for a proposal to use residuum oil in all cesspools and similar places.
For each square yard of the pit mix 2 quarts of the oil with water, and throw into the receptacle. This covers the surface with a scum which kills all larvae, prevents flies from en tering and laying their eggs, covers the contents, and also assists in pre venting the development of the bac teria of germ diseases. The same sub stances may be mixed with earth, lime, or phosphates, and spread upon the manure in barnyards, stables, etc.
Or scatter about horse stables saw dust saturated with dilute carbolic acid, 1 part of the acid to 100 parts of water.
Disease from Flies.—The fact that flies carry the germs of typhoid and other filth diseases is now so well es tablished that no one can have a clear conscience who is responsible for an open vault or drain or an exposed manure pile, if there is sickness in his household or neighborhood. In the country, farmhouses are usually far enough apart, so that the responsibil ity for the abatement of this nuisance rests upon the head of the family.
But in towns and villages the re sponsibility rests upon the local board of health, who, upon complaint being made, have in most cases ample power to enforce sanitary measures.
To Destroy Flies. — The various household measures against flies are the use of screens, poisons, adhesive fly papers, traps, and various preven tives.
Have screens for every window and door in the house. Removable wire screens on adjustable or other wood frames are, perhaps, most conveni ent. These may be inserted in the windows at will and removed when not wanted.
Or a wooden frame may be made the full size of the outer casing of the window and covered with wire or cloth netting. This may be inserted in the spring and removed in the fall, or, if desired, and wire net is used, may be left during the winter, especially in the upper rooms, to prevent children from falling out when the windows are open.
Or a cheap, handy way to screen against flies is to tack mosquito net ting to the outer window casing so as to cover the whole window. This is always out of the way, will last one season, can be torn down in the fall, and replaced cheaply and easily in the spring. If there are children, have the screen door made in two sec tions, an upper and a lower, so that only the lower section opens when the children go in and out. The flies set tle mostly on the upper part of the door. Hence this arrangement keeps out many flies. Adjust the two sec tions so that the whole door opens when pulled from above. Flies will come down the chimney even when there is a fire in the grate. Hence screen the chimney by means of wire netting across the top.
Have screens either half or full size made for each window on the same principle as a screen door, to fit into the outer frame and open outward. Hinge on the right side top and bot tom, same as a door, and place hooks or bolts on the left side top and bot tom to fasten in place. Use double hinges, and in the fall the screen can be lifted, leaving half of the hinge on the window frame. Protect this with suitable oil or paint, and the screen can be adjusted in the spring with little trouble.