268 



are seldom seen. Its transformations as shown in the figure will, how- 

 ever, represent in some degree those of the other species. All are closely 

 related and probably pass through the same number of molts, the differ- 

 ent stages repeating each other with comparative accuracy in the differ- 

 ent species. At Fig. 57 the stages are shown lettered progressively from 

 a to h. It will be noticed that none of these insects are winged until they 

 cast their skin for the last time and the descriptive remarks which have 

 preceded refer only to the full-grown insects. In point of color, how- 

 ever, they are moderately uniform, except that the newly hatched 

 roaches are very pale — the Crotou bug is nearly white — while all are of 

 the same pale hue just after they have cast a skin. 



The length of life of none of these species is accurately known, but as 

 with other insects mentioned in this series of articles it doubtless depends 

 largely on food-supply and temperature. They are all nearly omnivor- 

 ous, but have at the same time preferences in diet. They seem on the 

 whole to prefer animal matter to vegetable, but will eat after all kinds 

 of cooks — good, bad, or indifferent. Almost everything which goes on 

 the table is relished by them. 



In the latitude of Washington and further south the Croton bug eats 

 everything which contains paste, and, consequently, wall-paper, photo- 

 graphs, and especially certain kinds of cloth book-bindings suffer severely 

 from their attacks. In a recent number of Insect Life (Vol. I, p. 67) 

 will be found an account of severe injury done to certain of the impor- 

 tant files in the Treasury Department in Washington, the bindings of 

 many important public documents being disfigured and destroyed. In 

 the office of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey they have 

 become an intolerable nuisance by eating off the surface and particu- 

 larly the blue and red paint from drawings of important maps. 



But I need not elaborate further upon the damage which they do. 

 How to kill them and prevent this damage is the question. 



Without condemning other useful measures or remedies like borax, 

 I would repeat here what I have already urged in these columns, viz, 

 that in the free and persistent use of California Buhach, or some other 

 fresh and reliable brand of Pyrethrum or Persian Insect Powder, we 

 have the most satisfactory means of dealing with this and the other 

 roaches mentioned. 



Just before nightfall go into the infested rooms and puff it into all 

 crevices, under base-boards, into the drawers and cracks of old furni- 

 ture — in fact wherever there is a crack — and in the morning the floor 

 will be covered with dead and dying or demoralized and paralyzed 

 roaches, which may easily be swept up or otherwise collected and burned. 

 With cleanliness and persistency in these methods the pest may be 

 substantially driven out of a house, and should never be allowed to 

 get full possession by immigrants from without. 



For no other insect have so many quack remedies been urged and 

 are so many newspaper remedies published. Many of them have their 



