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 



DDT, lindane, malathion, and pyreth- 

 rum are highly effective against bed bugs. 

 They can be purchased at most drug, 

 hardware, and department stores and at 

 large food markets. 



These insecticides may be applied in 

 sprays or dusts. Sprays are preferred. 

 Dusts do not cling to mattresses, bed- 

 steads, 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 unsightly 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 

 specified in the table is not readily avail- 

 able, read the directions for mixing that 

 appear on the labels of the products that 

 are available and select a product whose 

 label includes specific directions for bed 

 bug control.) 



Pyrethrum sprays should contain at 

 least 0.2 percent of pyrethrins. Most 

 pyrethrum preparations contain syner- 

 gists— such as piperonyl butoxide, sulfox- 

 ide, propyl isome, and sesame oil — which 



