ROACHES AND OTHER ANCIENT INSECTS 



Blattella germanica, which is now our most common 

 American roach, received the nickname of "Croton bug" 

 in New York, because somehow he seemed to spread with 

 the introduction of the Croton Valley water system, and 

 this appelation has stuck to him in many parts of the 

 country. 



The Croton bug, or German roach (Fig. 49 A), is the 

 smallest of the "domestic" varieties of roaches. It is 

 that rather slender, pale-brown species, about five-eighths 

 of an inch in length, with the two dark spots on the front 

 shield of its body. This roach is the principal pest of the 

 kitchen in the eastern part of the United States, and prob- 



m 1 mJTfTfVi 



B 



c 



D E 



Fig. 50. Egg cases of five species of roaches. (Twice natural size) 



A, egg case of the Australian roach (fig. 49 C). B, that of the American 



roach (fig. 49 B); the other three are made by out-of-door species 



ably the best support of the trade in roach powders. Sev- 

 eral other larger species are fortunately less numerous, 

 but still familiar enough. Among these are one called 

 the American roach (Fig. 49 B), a second known as the 

 Australian roach (C), and a third as the Oriental roach 

 (D, E). These four species of cockroaches are all great 

 travelers and recognize no ties of nationality. They are 

 equally at home on land and at sea, and, as uninvited 



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