INSECTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD 



55 



There are four kinds of roaches common in this coun- 

 try : the small brown German roach, the Croton or water 

 bug, Ectobia Germanica, generally troublesome about hotels 

 and dwelling houses ; the large black roach, Periplaiieta 

 Americana, more common about mills, bakeries, wharves, 

 and ships ; the Australian roach, P. Aicstralasice, com- 

 mon in Florida and the South ; and the oriental roach, 

 P. orientalis, which 

 is quite cosmopolitan. 



To be rid of these 

 pests is easier to talk 

 about than to accom- 

 plish. Their long 

 association with man 

 has made them so 

 cunning that traps 

 and poisons are of 

 only partial and tem- 

 porary avail. Clean, 

 open plumbing, with 

 no cracks for them to 

 hide in, is the first consideration. If this be impossible, 

 scalding soapsuds or benzine syringed or poured into their 

 hiding places will aid in keeping their numbers in check. 

 The writer has discovered that bats are very fond of 

 roaches, and it is said that a common toad or a tree frog 

 left in an infested room will soon exterminate them. 

 Experiments, as opportunity may offer, with any of these 

 natural methods may prove instructive and interesting. 



The eggs of cockroaches are inclosed in large bean- 

 shaped packets within the abdomen of the female and are 



Fig. 36. The German Ro.-vch 

 li, second stage ; d, fourth stage ; f, adult female 

 with &gg case ; g, egg case- (Enlarged, All 

 natural size, e.xcept j^. After Riley) 



