M & A 112 2 5 



Immature bed bugs. A, Skin shed at first molt. B. Second stage (immediately after first molt). 

 C, After first meal, distended with blood. Much enlarged. 



If allowed to multiply, they establish 

 themselves behind baseboards, window 

 and door casings, pictures, and picture 

 moldings, and in furniture, loosened wall- 

 paper, cracks in plaster, and partitions. 



Control in homes 



To control bed bugs in homes, find 

 the places where they hide in the day- 

 time, and apply an insecticide directly 

 into those places. 



Note.— If you live in a private home in 

 which the infestation is heavy, or in a hotel 

 or apartment house, you may need the serv- 

 ices of a pest-control operator. See page 6. 



Kinds of Insecticide 



Lindane, malathion, ronnel, and pyre- 

 thrum (concentration shown on label as 

 pyrethrins) are highly effective against 

 bed bugs. They can be purchased at most 

 drug, hardware, and department stores 

 and at large food markets. 



Quite often household sprays contain 

 one or more of these insecticides com- 

 bined with other insecticides. Do not use 

 any insecticide on a mattress unless the 

 label specifically discusses application to 

 a mattress, and the label bears a U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture registration 



number. Most household sprays are not 

 suitable for application to mattresses. 



Most ot these insecticides may be ap- 

 plied in sprays or dusts. Sprays are pre- 

 ferred. Dusts do not cling to mattresses, 

 bedsteads, or vertical surfaces as well as 

 sprays do and therefore do not give as 

 long-lasting protection. Also, they are 

 harder to apply properly and are un- 

 sightly in exposed places in homes. 



Sprays . . . What To Buy 



The recommended insecticides are avail- 

 able as emulsifiable liquids. Any of 

 these liquids may be mixed with water 

 to make an emulsion spray or with kero- 

 sene to make a kerosene-solution spray. 



Oil solutions of some of the insecti- 

 cides may be purchased ready for use as 

 sprays. Such sprays generally are more 

 convenient for home use. 



If you wish to prepare a spray, mix 

 one of the emulsifiable liquids with water 

 or kerosene in the proportion necessary 

 to give the desired percentage of insecti- 

 cide in the finished spray. Labels on 

 the containers usually state the percent- 

 age of insecticide desirable in the finished 

 spray and give directions for mixing. 

 The accompanying table is a further guide. 

 (If an emulsifiable liquid of the strength 



