Where rabbits or other wild animals are plentiful they make a very satisfactory bait for use on the ranges; in fact, they are rather better than any other available bait. The animal should be opened up so as to expose the intestines; and when the weather is very dry it is best to keep some water in the pan, as it adds to the attractiveness of the bait. Entrails and other animal refuse may be utilized in a similar way when they are available. In large trapping operations goats or sheep culled from the flock are cut up for bait, from 1 to 2 pounds of meat being used in each bait pan.
The main objection to the use of these meat baits is that some maggots are likely to complete their growth and escape from the bait pans. This can be largely avoided by adding nicotine sulphate to the water in the bait pan in the proportion of one teaspoonful to each gallon of water. This does not check the decomposition enough to reduce the attractiveness of the bait and practically prohibits the escape of any maggots.
As a substitute for wild animals or animal refuse when they are not available, experiments show that fairly satisfactory catches can be secured by utilizing dried "gut slime" or dried whole egg. The former is not generally on the market but can be prepared by packing houses at a moderate cost. Both of these materials are easily carried on a saddle horse, and all that is necessary is to place about one-fourth pound in the bait pan and add 1 gallon of water, after which the mixture should be stirred. The more frequently any of these baits is agitated, the greater the catch which will be secured. If the bait is kept well moistened it will continue attractive for 10 days or longer. These baits should be kept alkaline by the addition, once or twice a week, of a teaspoonful of washing or baking soda.
COMBINATION BAITS
With a number of the baits before mentioned both house flies and blowflies are captured. This is especially true with the "gut slime" and dried egg. Where both of these kinds of flies are abundant such baits are desirable. Certain other mixtures may also be utilized. A packing-house product known as blood tankage is a good fly bait when used before drying and with molasses and water. Fish scraps or meat scraps, especially with molasses and water added, will attract all kinds of flies. Overripe or fermenting fruit such as watermelon rinds or crushed bananas often gives very satisfactory results. A combination of overripe bananas with milk is much more attractive than either one used separately.
[BAIT CONTAINERS]
The size of the bait container in relation to the size of the trap is a very important consideration. It has been found that a small pan or a deep pan of bait set in the center under a trap will catch only a small fraction of the number of flies secured by using larger shallow containers. The best and most convenient pan for baits is a shallow circular tin, such as the cover of a lard bucket. Under range conditions it is advisable to use a more substantial bait pan and preferably one 4 inches deep, so that a greater quantity of bait may be used, thus preventing complete drying out between visits to the trap. Its diameter should be about 4 inches less than that of the base of the trap, thus bringing the edge within 2 inches of the outside edge of the trap. For liquid baits the catch can be increased slightly by placing a piece of sponge or a few chips in the center of the bait pan to provide additional surface upon which the flies may alight.