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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



be infested wilh (leas should have a quantity of fresh pyrethrura 

 powder rubbed into the hair. This will stupefy the pests, causing 

 them to drop ofT and then they may be swept up and burned. Dust- 

 ing hosiery with pyrethrum powder has been found very effective 

 in preventing flea bites in situations where such precautions are 

 advisable. 



It is frequently very difficult to deal with a bad infestation, due 

 to the impossibility of getting at the breeding places or destroying 

 all of the fleas at one time. Dr Henry Skinner of Philadelphia 

 states that he has successfully destroyed fleas in a badly infested 

 room, by sprinkling the floor liberally with about 5 pounds 

 of flake naphthalene and closing the room for 24 hours. The acrid 

 fumes destroyed the fleas and inflicted no material injury. There 

 is no danger in this procedure and we earnestly commend it to 

 those troubled by this pest. Fumigation with hydrocyanic acid 

 gas, described on page 42, where practical, is a most satisfactory 

 method of dealing with this condition. 



A sparse infestation has been handled satisfactorily, according 

 to Dr Howard, by placing a white cloth, like a pillow case, in the 

 middle of the floor. The fleas, attracted by the color, jump on 

 the cloth and may then be captured with a wet finger and put 

 into water. 



Bedbug' 



The brown, oval, flattened, malodorous insect so generally desig- 

 nated by the above name, is too familiar to require description. 



Fig. 10 Bedbug; a, and /'. adult females from above and below, gorged with blood; c 

 .and d, structural details. (After Marlatt, U. S. Dep't Agric. Div. Ent. Bui. 4. n. s. 1896) 



'Cimex lectularius Linn. 



