Insect pests in waste products

Abstract

The waste products of a modern community are eliminated in two ways: as relatively dry refuse and as water-borne sewage. It is perhaps worth noting that, in most cases, valuable minerals and organic matter, which could form useful fertilizer, are wastefully discarded. This matter will be briefly discussed later, under the headings of reclamation and composting. More relevant to this book is the fact that in most disposal systems opportunities arise for excessive breeding of various flies and of crickets, which may cause serious annoyance. These troubles will be considered in this chapter. Other nuisances are also possible, from the encouragement of rodents, pollution of water from effluent, foul odours and smoke from open burning.