THE BEDBUG. bY 
to abate this bug nuisance.'. Bedbugs and other household insects, 
however, are not of the sort which it is convenient or profitable to 
turn over to their natural enemies in the hope that eradication by 
this means will follow, and the fact that they are preyed upon by 
other insects furnishes no excuse to the housekeeper for not institut- 
ing prompt remedial measures. 
REMEDIES. 
Undoubtedly the most efficient remedy for the bedbug is to fumi- 
gate the infested house or rooms with hydrocyanic-acid gas. This gas 
will penetrate into every crevice in the house or room where the 
bedbugs conceal themselves and has an immediate effectiveness 
which gives it an important recommendation, especially when the 
infestation is considerable or of long standing. This method of 
fumigation should be intelligently employed, as the gas is deadly 
poisonous. A bulletin giving directions for such fumigation has been 
issued by the Department of Agriculture.’ 
The fumes of burning sulphur are also a very efficient means of 
control where the conditions are such that this method can be used, 
readily destroying the insect in all stages; including the egg. The 
treatment is inexpensive compared with the use of hydrocyanic- 
acid gas and offers much less risk of danger to human beings. There 
is, however, a considerable risk of injury to household fabrics, furnish- 
ings, and wall papers from the strong bleaching quality of sulphur 
fumes. This danger will be somewhat diminished if the fumigation 
can be done at a time when the room or house is thoroughly dried out, 
as in winter by a furnace or other heating system. Further precau- 
tions should be taken by removing all metallic surfaces from the 
room or building, or by protecting them with a coating of vaseline. 
Two pounds of sulphur are recommended for each 2,000 cubic feet of 
space, and the building should be closed for the treatment for at least 
5 or 6 hours, or preferably for 24 hours. Sulphur candles may be 
used where available, or the sulphurous gas or fumes can be generated 
by burning the sulphur in a dish placed in the center of the room, and 
for protection set within a larger vessel. Thorough-going precautions 
must be taken to prevent accidental overflowing or the starting of a 
fire, and after the fumigation the house should be given a thorough 
airing. 
Other gases have been experimented with, such as formalin and 
the vapors of benzine, naphthaline, and. camphor, but these gases are 
of little value. Similarly, insect powders are of little value, largely 
from the difficulty of getting them into the crevices and other places 
of concealment of the insects. 
1 Bedbugs and red ants. Jn Insect Life, v. 6, no. 4, p. 340. 1894, 
2 Howard, L. O., and Popenoe, C. H. Hydrocyanic-acid gas against household insects. U.S. Dept. 
Agr. Farmers’ Bul. 699. Sp. 1916. 
