TO FIGHT THE PLY PEST.

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 11, 14 January 1933, Page 10

TO FIGHT THE PLY PEST.

PRACTICAL METHODS

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The letter from a correspondent on the fly nuisance in the Hutt in the "Evening Post" of the 13th January, leads me to think that my experience with the same pest this summer may be of interest to her and possibly to others. I have never known houseflies to be so abundant and so persistent in New Zealand as they, are just now. Almost in desperation I was driven to a re-perusal of a pamphlet I ,have had for many years, entitled "The House-fly, its Life History, and Practical Measures for Ita Suppression," issued by the Natural History Section of the British! jUuseum, and written by Major E E Austen who apparently had a very consMe^ able experience m dealing with th^pest in nulitary camps during the war. It i, impossible to give in a brief letter an ad" quate summary of this 50-page paTpnlet but the loUowing facts, which are of tha mTyte Merest * *• P«* The house-fly is attracted inside the house by the odour of food and of kitchea scraps, and will feed on these; but it breeds outside in vegetable refuse which II s"ttcient]y dense and moist. I believe tie house-fly will lay its eggs on meat, but it does not typically do so, leaving that food material to the golden-haired blowfly and the bluebottle, both, of which are common enough in homes.. Anyone who takes the trouble to examine the moist rotting vegetable matter at the base of a garden rubbish heap or a pile of grasi clippings will find plenty "of evidence that house-flies breed there. The maggots, shy creatures which rapidly burrow out of sight, are distinctly: pointed at the head end and blunt at the tail. The pupa case is reddish, darkening with age, and usually abundant in each a situation. Proof that they contain house-flies can be obtained; easily enough by placing them in a covered jug or bottle for a day or two. The disposal of garden refuse is not easy] at this time of year, when the availably space is full of vegetables and the gardener. is nursing the heap to supply. organic matter in the winter and spring. Burying the rubbish will not prevent those maggots which, are already present "from maturing. Nevertheless, if the breeding o£ flies is to be discouraged, something must be done with the heap of rubbish, and, the alternatives seem, to be spreading thq material thinly, so as to keep-it dry; compacting it into a well-made compos^ heap, well pressed down, so that the breeding area is diminished; or burning it. ' Kitchen refuse, so difficult to disposa of in'modern homes where there is often, no fire of any description in summer, is very attractive to flies, but it is not usually, kept long enough about the place to allow, the pest to complete its brood-cycle. Once it reaches the weekly rubbish cart, it is the business of the municipality to see that further breeding in it. becomes impossible. The destruction of refuse in which, houseflies can breed is therefore a community, problem, for as with other pests, it is no use one person faithfully destroying rubbish if others leave it lying about. Meantime, the average householder has to be content with waging war on the adult fly, in the home. In this respect I have received considerable assistance from toe suggestion-made in the pamphlet already, referred to, that an efficient and economical tanglefoot «an be prepared by mixing together five parts of castor oil and eight parts of powdered resin, or approximately two of one and three of the other. As a small amount is sufficient for some time, the quantities may be roughly measured in a teaspoon or a dessertspoon. The in* gredients are placed in .any convenient glass vessel and melted and mixed by immersion in boiling water. When cold, attar the treatment, the mixture shpuld just move, like, very thick treacle; more oil or resin should be added to obtain this consistency. - When hot the mixture should run freely, arid in this condition it should be brushed thinly on to wires. ■ Plain, heavy fencing wire, bent at one end sa> that it can be suspended from, the ceiling, is very suitable; but judging from, tha fondness shown_ by flies for electric.light cables as roosting places, twisted wire might be even better. If a heavy cardboard disc, two 'inches in diameter, is pushed lip the wire a little front the bottom, it will serve to_ prevent any; unpleasant drips from the wire which occur if the tanglefoot is too thin or is tod thickly , spread. The same mixture may. be painted on glazed paper, or on the usual .fly-catcher papers, and will render the latter doubly effective. The wires caa be cleaned by rubbing them down with, a handful of paper, or putting them in * fire, and can then be repainted for further use. —I am, etc., • FLIES.