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82
Before formulating any means that may prevent the
invasion of bug's into new houses it is necessary to take
into consideration every possible source of infestation. In
the following enumeration of possible sources I have
endeavoured to arrange them in their order of possibility
or probability.
1. Infested furniture, pictures, bedding, clothing, etc.,
imported direct from an infested house.
2. The introduction of infested second-hand articles. •
3. Clean articles as enumerated in 1 becoming infested
by removing them in an infested furniture van.
4. Infestation from adjacent infested houses.
5. Infestation from the sites of old infested houses.
6. Using in construction of new buildings infested
material from old demolished houses.
1. One might be pardoned for remarking at first
thought that there is no excuse for placing this source first
on the list or that it should not be on the list at all. If
the house which is being vacated is disinfected and all the
various articles therein disinfected, why should it be possible
for the new house to become infested? The success or
failure of disinfection and disinfestation depends on the
intensity of the procedure. This must be thorough enough
—to use a war-time expression—to provide a "direct hit"
which is necessary for extermination. The method at present
carried out by the Public Health Department is as follows: —
(a) Communications from the Town Clerk giving present
addresses of intending occupiers of new houses.
(b) Visit by sanitary inspector who makes a thorough
examination for evidence of infestation. If there is
no such evidence a "clean bill" is given. If there
is evidence disinfection of premsies is carried out
by fumigation with sulphur and the tenants given
solution D to spray on articles. Any articles that
will not be damaged or destroyed by steam disinfection
are submitted to that process. Sometimes
bedding has been destroyed at the request of the
tenants.
This procedure may be successful in exterminating the
present generation, but some crevice or crack containing
eggs may easily be overlooked and accordingly the new
house becomes infested. Suggestions for a more efficient
procedure are given later.
2. There is always a danger of infestation from
second-hand articles. Permission to destroy infested articles