tntontaloflbt. 



Vol. XXXV 1 1 1. 



LONDON, MARCH, 1906. 



No. 3 



PRACTICAL AND POPULAR ENTOMOLOGY.— No. 11. 



Household Insects, 

 r.v w.\l lochheau, ontario agricultural ccllege, guelph. 



Who is not interested in the insetis that persist in hving in our homes 

 as unwelcome guests? Some of these intruders are blood-thirsty creatures, 

 and torment the bodies of their helpless hosts ; some confine their 

 attentions to the carpets, woollens, and upholstery, and others are partial 

 to the pantry, but all are heartily hated by the industrious housewife. In 

 a short popular article such as this one, only brief notes will be given 

 regarding the habits of some of the most important house insects, and only 

 the best practical treatment will be indicated. The writer would refer 

 those readers who desire to know more about these insects to the Reports 

 of the Ontario Entomological Society, and to the Bulletins of the Bureau 

 of Entomology at Washington. 



For convenience of consideration, household insects may be grouped 

 as follows : 



1. Those molesting and annoying the inmates of the house : 

 House-flies, Mosquitoes, Fleas, and Bed-bugs. 



2. Those injuring the carpets, woollens and upholstery : Carpet- 

 beetles and Clothes-moths. 



3. Those feeding on food products in the pantry : Larder-beetle?, 

 Ham-mites, Cheese-skippers, Meal-worms, Flour-beetles and Flour-moths., 

 Cockroaches, and House-ants. 



House-flies. — There are several species of there ubiquitous crea- 

 tures. The common House-fly ( Miisca doinestica) may aYmoy, but it never 

 biles us. The Stable-fly ( Stomoxys calcitrans) is a frequent visitor to our 

 houses, more especially just before rain, and torments us by its sharp 

 bites. Another species is the Blue-bottle or Blow-fly, but the House-fly 

 is by far the most abundant form. The eggs of this species are deposited 

 mainly on horse-manure about stables. A generation occupies from 10 to 

 14 days, depending on the temperature, the egg stage lasting about 24 

 hours, the larval or maggot stage from five to seven days, and the pupal 

 stage from five to seven days. As each female lays over ico eggs, it will 



