The Breeding Media of some common Flies

Abstract

When studying the biology of the house-fly or any other fly annoying to man and domestic animals with a view to practical control, it is obvious that a correct knowledge of the breeding-places of the species is perhaps the most important problem which the investigator has to solve. As to the common house-fly (Musca domestica, L.) it is generally held that this problem has been completely cleared up by several workers years ago, but recent observations in Denmark have convinced the writers that this is not the case. We have arrived at conclusions regarding the chief breeding-places of the house-fly differing from those generally found in text-books.Our work has not been limited to Musca domestica, for we have as far as possible studied the breeding-places of other flies occurring in houses or connected with domestic animals, first and foremost the stable-fly (Stomoxys calcitrans, L.). The knowledge of the biology of the stable-fly in Europe is surprisingly meagre, though the practical interest of this species as a tormentor of cattle and horses and a possible vector of infectious diseases is generally recognised.As our observations may be of some interest to workers in other countries we have collected them in this paper, which constitutes the third of a series containing the main results of our investigations into the fly problem started under the auspices of the Health Organisation of the League of Nations and the Danish Committee of Rural Hygiene and with the support of the Danish Ministry of Agriculture and several private funds.