TRAP FOR TSETSE FLY

Hawera Star, Volume L, 14 February 1931, Page 16

TRAP FOR TSETSE FLY

BXTOMOLOOIST's R ESEAK’CN. HARRIS, a Oovcrainent entomologist, who for some years lias been stationed in the Zululand game re. serve investigating methods for the < control ot nagana, llic* tsetse-borne i cattle disease, gave a demonstration be- I fore the provincial authorities and lead- I ing entomologists of the Union of South Africa and .'Rhodesia of his recently devised tsetse trap, says “The Times.”

Mr Harris some time ago satisfied himself that the tsetse fly hunted enI t'irelv by sight. He found it was atI tracted to roughly shaped dummy anir.mls, that it usually attached itself to tht' belly, and that it reacted to con- ; I trasts of light and shade. The trap I consists of a wooden frame on legs, I covered with hessian, except at the bot- | tom, and having a gauze trap at the I top, and is shaped sufficiently like a. | living animal to attract the fly. Swooping toward the lower part of the trap, ihe fly conies within the hessian walls,, end, attracted by the light showing l

through the gauze above, enters the] trap proper. For the demonstration 18 | traps were set up, and at the end of I the day they were found to contain 1393 flies, of which 9412 were females, j A most effective demonstration was the j release of a number of flies taken from toe trap practically all of which again! found their way into it.- Experts are, so far guarded in their comments, but, 1 since the fly is not a prolific breeder, it is considered that if an adequate number of traps were used they would make a marked difference to the fly population of Zululand. * ,