COCKROACHES 



295 



they do not cause injury, they are usually welcome, and the 

 chirping of the cricket on the hearth has figured in song and story. 



Control. If they become injurious, pieces of potatoes or carrots 

 thoroughly poisoned with arsenic will make good exterminators. 

 Sweetened and poisoned liquids are also effective, and vessels 

 filled with beer or other liquid placed in localities where they 

 occur make effective traps. 



Cockroaches. These are the well-known Croton bugs (Blatella 

 germanica Linn.) found about pantries and kitchens, particularly 

 in the vicinity of the sink. They are light brown or dull yellow. 

 Except in warm buildings, they are dormant during the winter. 

 In the spring the females are observed dragging about their egg 



FIG. 304. Crickets: 1 and 2, adults; 4, nymph. Under 1, crickets just hatched. 



cases, these being carried until the eggs are about ready to hatch 

 (Fig. 305). The young grow very slowly and are without wings 

 until late in the fall. 



A Serious Pest. This disgusting pest may be the means of 

 spreading disease, and no good housekeeper will tolerate its pres- 

 ence. It is well to remember that if once allowed to get a start 

 in the house they are extremely difficult to eradicate. 



Control. Where the infestation is very bad, the best remedy 

 is to fumigate with hydrocyanic acid gas if the house stands by 

 itself, so that other households are not involved. Burn sulfur 

 in sealed rooms. This is a desirable method of destroying these 

 insects. It should be repeated frequently for two or three weeks 

 to get lasting effects. Fumigation should take place before egg- 

 laying occurs or after the eggs are hatched. Powdered borax 



