52 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



that it has seemed desirable to give some account of those most frequently complaint d of, 

 and suggest some methods of dealing with them. Hitherto very little has been pub- 

 lished upon this class of troublesome insects, and not much has been known about their 

 life histories ; but last year the deficiency was satisfactorily removed by the publication 

 at Washington of a bulletin on " The Principal Household Insects of the United States," 

 by Dr. Howard, Entomologist in Chief of the Department of Agriculture, and his assis- 

 tants, Messrs. Marlatt and Chittenden. In the following pages we shall freely draw 

 upon this work, as nowhere else can the same accurate information be obtained, and by 

 no other writers have the life histories of these insects been so carefully studied and the 

 details so clearly and admirably set forth. 



Cockroaches. 



Most houses in towns and cities are infested with cockroaches to a greater or less 

 extent, and even isolated dwellings in the country are sometimes inhabited by an unwel- 

 come colony of these creatures. I have known them to be introduced into remote places 

 by means of the trunks of visitors, or packages of groceries received from some distant 

 city. Mr. Fyles (15th Annual Report, 1884, p. 43) relates the occurrence of large num- 

 bers at Ohaudiere Curve, a wayside station, nine miles from Point Levi, P Q , where 

 luggage is transferred from the Grand Trunk to the Intercolonial Railway, and vice versa, 

 and where the insects were evidently brought by immigrants from Euiope. They 

 usually frequent kitchens and pantries and are especially abundant about the stove or 

 fireplace on account of their fondness for heat. Eor this reason, as well as for the sake 

 of the abundant food supply, they are often present in great numbers and become a per- 

 fect nuisance in bakeries. They are also excessively numerous and troublesome on board 

 ship, the moisture and heat of the vessels being particularly favorable to them. In the 

 daytime they are rarely seen, as they always avoid the light, and conceal themselves in 

 crevices, behind baseboards, under boxes or barrels, etc , wherever in fact they can 

 squeeze their flat, thin bodies, and escape observation. If disturbed they scuttle off with 

 great rapidity to the nearest hiding-place and can rarely be captured or destroyed. It 



Fig. 32. 



The American Cockroach ; o view from above ; b from beneath ; both enlarged 

 one-third (after Marlatt). 



sometimes happens that a large colony has established itself in a kitchen for months 

 without being discovered, till a sudden entry with a light after the usual hours has. 

 revealed their presence. 



