THE TICKS, THE BUG IS ALMOST IMMORTAL

Otago Witness, Issue 2511, 30 April 1902, Page 49

THE TICKS,

THE BUG IS ALMOST IMMORTAL

properly so called, 'somewhat resembling the sheep tick, but only about the size of, or •less than, half a grain df -wheat. These were to be found on the birds at any -time during the day, but I could not behev« that ■any number of them could reduce strong, licarthy .birds to a -state of ■complete prostration in four or five days, "but the discovery of -their nocturnal companions, the bugs, quickly explained matters. I adopted severe remedies^ caught the remaining birds (irot 'a difficult matter, as they were all helpless), immersed them up to lhc eyes in a -bath of sheep dip, gave them -whisky .as a stimulant thereafter, and placed them in a wixe-netted run in the vineyarH, 200 yds away, wieio they had only a large carol) tree as a roosting place at night, and from that time 1 had no further trouble with vermin in my greatly reduced flook of 37 birds. The sheep dip aud wliisky treatment and subsequent -exposure (it was a cold day) had. proved fatal to .some more of them. 'T pulled down call the did sheds and "burno tho .materials, sweeping" up the ground on a clean surface every few minutes -with a stable broom. How many bugs I destroyed in this way I should not care to say, but their bodies, on "being brought by the broom into contact with ±lie "hot coals, maintained! a constant ""pliut, phut," as wet seaweed will when placed in the 'fire. 'Complete extirpation 1 regarded as impossible, as credible , authorities informed me that these insects can exist "in cracks in dry earth for over two years, -without any means of sustenance whatever, beyond what they may obtain h\ practising rimniba'Tism, which. I am •!<>'■ is part of their creed. Now, lest any of your readers may vegan! as incredible, my earlier statement that I

let me describe what I did by way of ■experiment with a view of .using {if successful) some <of the old .timber in other buildings. I procured about 50 -of Uieae disgusting meecta, filled a kerosene tin with water, .and immersed them therein, visiting fhem iwice a day to see that they were properly submerged. At the end of Aye days I carefully removed them, and placed them on a board in the sun. On examination 24hours, afterwards they were fitill there, bub at the end of 48 hours, to any utter astonishment, half of them had disappeared, and the remainder were in .a state of activity. Thio was sufficient t-o convince me that drowning the timber did not affect the inhabitants, and a somewhat similar experiment of soaking in kerosene only proved still .further that, Noah-like, these plagues can always find an Ararat, and that fire treatment, with very careful supervision, is the only method of dealing with them. In some districts of South Australia—.Gawler, for instance—l am told that the farming community has practically "had to give up poultry-leeeping, even of "the ordinary barnyard variety, owing to their utter inability to rope with these pests. And now, as an ardent and practical ama, terur, let me urge -you, and Through you your readers, to (to quote -Brougham, 1 think) "use every means which Providence and Nature have committed to your hands" to prevent the introduction of these pesti into New Zealand, for, if they once appear here, g6od-bye for ever to successful poultrykeeping. lam sorry, dear "Terror," tc have occupied so much of your space, bui you have several times asked for informa tion about fowl tick, without any response, and haiing again taken, up my residence in Nt'u Zealand after a long absence, and with tht intention of continuing my poultrykeeping on a larger scale, 1 am anxious to place before my fellow "keepers" soiae idea of ihe dangers they run from lack of proper precautions, and to draw their attention to the advisability of careful and systematic examination of thetr premises, with a view of enabling them to oaxly detect the presence of -a foe -so deadly to their interests. I am writing this in a great hurry bnt U there ik anything that I harve omitted ox not made sufficiently clear to you or' my fellows, I shall gladly at any time supply you or them with wbat further knowledge I ptte-e-i upon this subject, and for this purpose- -enclose my name and address.—] am, etc., MIROA. Auckland, April 18. (Another -interesting contribution on thia subject ib to hand irom Miroa, and will appear next week.—Thkbob.]