COCKROACHES 
How to Control Them 
Cockroaches are pests through- 
out the United States. They carry 
filth on their legs and bodies and 
may spread disease by polluting 
food. They destroy food and dam- 
age fabrics and bookbindings. 
Cockroaches have an offensive 
odor that may ruin food. Unless 
dishes over which the insects run 
are thoroughly washed, they may 
give off the odor when warmed. 
There are about 55 kinds of 
cockroaches in the United States, 
but only seven kinds are trouble- 
some in buildings. Most of the 
others live outdoors. They may 
enter houses by coming in on fire- 
wood or by flying to lights, but 
most of them cannot develop in- 
doors. They either leave or die. 
Those that do develop indoors 
are fairly easy to control in most 
homes. 
DESCRIPTION 
Cockroaches have a broad, fiat- 
tened shape, and six long legs. 
They are dark brown, reddish 
brown, light brown, or black. The 
adults of most species have wings. 
The young look like the adults, 
except that they are smaller and 
do not have wings. 
Cockroaches hide during the 
day in sheltered, dark places. 
They come out and forage at 
night. If disturbed, they run rap- 
idly for shelter and disappear 
through openings to their hiding 
places. 
The seven kinds that are 
troublesome in buildings can be 
distinguished from each other by 
their appearance and by the 
places where they are found. The 
table and illustrations will help 
you learn to distinguish them. 
BN—2287 
(natural _ size; 
cockroach 
some are larger.) 
American 
