FLIES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1018, 10 November 1917, Page 3

FLIES.

Tljo (lompstii! fly passes llirotig-fii the same stage* - , of nii-tajnorphosis a.s the butterfly, namely, egg, maggot., and chrysalis. Hut wherca.-; the lennnino butterfly lays her oggs on healthy growing leaves and vegetables, the female fly lays her eggs on or near horse dung, or failing that, some decaying matter. '1 luit is the reason flies swarm in and about stable,,- and byres of all kinds. Should the female fly find no manure convenient. she will mak > use of the next best place- lor he;- purposes and will look for human or animal excrement in a privy ;>r pigsty, fowlhou.se or yard. In towns she- will be able to use tlic gutters, mews, abattoir;;, ash bins, dust heaps, rotting paper, feathers._ ragv sucks, pile.-, ol bananas and jrnit skins, refuse from fish, meat, baker’s and greengrocer’- shops, garbage on empty lots—in fact, any accumulation of filth which promises food for the maggots in the few days previous to their passing on to vhe chrysalis stage. Manure being the main breeding place for flics, those- who keep animals are ashed to pay particular at.cntion to the disposal of refuse, to have impermeable floors frequently washed down, drainage in working order, and great cleanliness in the bedding during the summer mouths. Motor cars do not breed (lies. if we know what, to look for we can gem erallv find it. Flies’ eggs arc very small ovals about l-2C:h of, an inch long and white when they are first laid. They can be .set n with the naked eye in manure il a slide is used to turn the. .stuff over. _ Once found the searcher will have no difficulty in recognising other nest,, of them. _ In hot weather these eggs hatch out in eighthours. but this period may be. delayed tor four days. One end of the ‘oval egg splits and die mat?,col- higgler mtr. During ibis stage it breathes through the-last segment of "its body, and so can easily bn drowned. It next turns into a chrysalis lor five days. I Hiring the ehryealis stage no food itaken, but the pupa, inside is busily enoaprd in growing six. legs, two wings, and an inflation bag, by winen Litter, when blown up. it bursts the chrysalis shell and the. mature fly is horn. In a few more minutes, during width tab wings are, toporaged by rubbing the legs over them, it sails off on the great adventure to the. near cst manure heap, il it is not m it already, and thence on to the food of the. public. From start to finish the whole rnetamorphis lasts ten days. Dr. Rose, of the Lister Institute, estimates that one iomale. lly ran product' 506.250,000 offspring during the summer offensive. It is obvious,_ therefore, jhttfc everyone can do a little bit towards mil mating the nuisance, and that to pr<>ventbihe eggs being mat it red i- the key to stiQceivsful treatment. 11 this is combined with indoor fly traps, sticky papers, etc., the post can lie dealt with. These steps, worked together methodically, have been the means of ridding shores of towns of the flv pnsfc. ~ , , When the public becomes euueatod up to it, they will not. tolerate the doruesiic fly any more than they will stand intention of drinking wafer.