no Sept.. 1910.] HouseJiold Insect Pests. 591 



Furniture Beetles. 



Under the above heading it is advi.sable to place iasects belonging to 

 the genera Lyctus, Xestohium {Anobiiirn), BostrycJius, and others. These 

 .are the principal insects which bore into furniture of all kinds, and cau.se 

 serious damage. The backs of book-cases and cupboards are particularly 

 liable to attacks. Ordinary table legs and wicker work furniture seem to 

 be favourite breeding places for these insects. Such articles as the.=;e 

 should be carefully e.xamined before being brought into a hou.se. If any 

 -small holes and sawdust are noticed, the furniture should be discarded, and, 

 if badly infested, destroyed bv liurning. Flooring joists and other timbers 

 in houses are occasionally attacked. 



Remedies. — Should timber or furniture be attacked by any species of 

 furniture beetles, no time should be lost in taking measures to suppress 

 the pest. If furniture is attacked it is advisable to treat it with strong 

 benzine, by pouring it over the small holes made in the furniture by the 

 larv^ of these beetles; if this is repeated at intervals it penetrates into the 

 wood and' destroys the grubs. Corrosi\e sublimate (a poison which re- 

 quires careful handling), carbolic acid, pre.servative oil, and other remedies 

 recommended for treating White Ants will also l)e found effective. 



Silver Fish. 



This insect is sometimes known as Silver Lou.se. It measures about 

 one-third of an inch in length and is of a silvery colour, resembling a 

 minute fish. It has two prominent horns or antennae, and at the end of 

 the body are three long bristle-shaped appendages. The whole surface of 

 the body is covered with small scales, like those on the wings of moths. It 

 is an exceedingly active insect, and is of a slippery nature ; it is .soft, and 

 it is almost impossible to capture a specimen without crushing it. 



Remedies. — Fortunately these insects are easily got rid of. Advantage 

 may be taken of their liking for fabrics and other articles containing starch 

 to poison them. Slip bits of cardboard, on which a thick boiled 

 starch paste liberally poi.soned with arsenic has been spread and dried, into 

 all crevices where they occur. But this plan is not to be recommended in 

 places to which children have access. Various in.secticides (Pyrethrum 

 powders) sprinkled where these insects most frequent, form a most reliable 

 remedy. Powdered borax or benzine is also of use. The former should 

 'be sprinkled in their haunts, and the latter syringed into any crevices. 



Vineg.\r or Ferment Flies. 



These are pests which can. with a little care, be kept out of pantries 

 •and store-rooms, where they are sometimes found in countless numbers 

 attacking jams, pickles, over-ripe fruit, wine, &c. The female, which is 

 a verv small light brownish fly. measuring about an eighth-of-an-inch long, 

 deposits her eggs in or on the receptacles holding any of the above named 

 articles. When the larvse are hatched and nearly fully developed they 

 leave the liquid, and pupate on the sides and tops of the vessels. The 

 first flies generally issue about four days later. 



Remedies.— \\\ receptacles for jam, &c., should be hermetically 

 ■sealed. Over-ripe and decaying fruit should not be allowed to remain m 

 pantries or store-rooms. A little Pyrethrum powder dusted about where 

 the flies are vnll .soon destroy them. 



