Danger of Spraying Wooden Insect Cages with Melamine Resins

Abstract

THE original cages used by us for rearing Glossina austeni were made of deal (coniferous softwood) by the local carpenter; the wood was left untreated. A precision wood-working firm was commissioned to make similar cages in large numbers. On their advice, mahogany plywood, exterior grade, was used, and the cages surface-sprayed with a melamine resin which would seal the wood against absorption of fæces and facilitate the washing of dirty boxes.