Bamboo flea trap, Chinese, 1751-1850

The inner tube of this bamboo trap was coated with a sticky substance such as birdlime to catch fleas. It can be removed to dispose of the dead fleas. Other Chinese traps were made from hollow pieces of bamboo or ivory and heated to attract fleas. They could be placed in beds to catch these insects, which bite and cause intense itching. Fleas are known to be carriers of diseases such as plague.