78 



THE COM.\[(lX MOSOriTOKS OF MINNESOTA 



Citli'x rcstiiaiis. A riight of a few lumdrcd yards from its Ijreeding 

 place is the usual extent of its wauderini^s, ])ut it is now thought 

 that it ma}- slowly find its way from one to three miles from its 

 place of origin, when an area becomes o\ erstocked with indi\'iduals. 



It may ])e easily recognized l)v its yellowish-brown color, and 

 the absence of all Ijandings or markings except for a narrow white 

 band on the base of each abdominal segment. In structure it is 

 slender and of only medium size, often l)eing so small as to be able 

 to penetrate window screening of the size mesh usuall}' employed. 



The female spends the winter hidden awa\- in warm cellars, 

 stables and storehouses. During warm da\s in winter and earlv 





Fig. 17 — (lood breeding places for the lioiisehold inos(|nitn. 



spring it may emerge and will take a meal of blood if opportunity 

 otTers. As soon as the season becomes sufficiently warm it emerges 

 from hil)ernation and is read}' for oviposition. Tlie eggs are laid 

 during the latter half of the night in small, boat-shaped rafts wdiich 

 float on the sttrface of the water and resemble, superficially, small 

 masses of soot. luich raft contains from fifty to four Innulred eggs. 

 These eggs hatch in twenty-four hours if the weather is warm, the 

 lar\ae dropi^ing into the water below. 



Ciilc.v pipiois nearl\' always chooses artificial collections of 

 water on wliicli to place her eggs; such as rain l)arrels. tin cans on 

 dumps holding water, sewer catch basins, clogged roof drains and 



