Establishment and maintenance of a laboratory colony of Phlebotomus argentines are described which presently is in the nineteenth generation. Larvae were reared in modified plastic vials and were fed with a newly prepared food. Emerged flies were kept in adult holding cages at 50–90% r.h. and 25–26°C and provided with 30% sucrose solution. The average development time (egg to adult) of each generation in the laboratory was about 32 days at 28–31°C. Adult females were fed blood on hamsters, humans and white mice. Observations were made on mating behaviour, host preference, oviposition, effect of temperature, etc.

Xenopsylla astia, the indigenous commensal rat flea has been replaced by X. cheopis in many parts of India to a large extent. As a result of this replacement or suppression serious outbreaks of plague had occurred in the country in the earlier part of the century. The introduction of DDT for malaria control programme, as a collaboral benefit, has also served to control plague in the country. This has also encouraged DDT resistance in fleas. In the present paper the distribution of X. astia in the state of Maharashtra is discussed along with its susceptibility status to DDT. The distribution of this flea now appears to be patchy, being restricted to very few areas. The flea demonstrates high degree of resistance to DDT.