THE BEDBUG. 
common little red house ant. Such enemies, however, are of very 
small importance and yield little, if any, effective control except 
under very exceptional circumstances.” 
“Remedies. 
“ Undoubtedly the most efficient remedy for the bedbug is to fumi¬ 
gate the infested house or rooms with hydrocyanic-acid gas. This 
gas will penetrate into every crevice in the house or room where the 
bedbugs conceal themselves and has an immediate effectiveness 
which gives it an important recommendation, especially when the 
infestation is considerable or of long standing. This method of 
fumigation should be intelligently employed, as the gas is deadly 
poisonous.” Five ounces of potassium cyanide per 1,000 cubic feet 
of space should be employed; exposure, one hour. 2 Ten ounces per 
1,000 cubic feet would be better. 
“ The fumes of burning sulphur are also a very efficient means of 
control where the conditions are such that this method can be used, 
readily destroying the insect in all stages, including the egg. The 
treatment is inexpensive compared with the use of hydrocyanic- 
acid gas and offers much less risk of danger to human beings. There 
is, however, a considerable risk of injury to household fabrics, furnish¬ 
ings, and wall papers from the strong bleaching quality of sulphur 
fumes. This danger will be somewhat diminished if the fumigation 
can be done at a time when the room or house is thoroughly dried out, 
as in winter by a furnace or other heating system. Further precau¬ 
tions should be taken by removing all metallic surfaces from the 
room or building, or by protecting them with a coating of vaseline.” 
. Four pounds of sulphur are recommended for each 1,000 cubic feet 
of space, and the building should be closed for the treatment for at 
least five or six hours. “ Sulphur candles may be used where avail¬ 
able, or the sulphurous gas or fumes can be generated by burning 
the sulphur in a dish placed in the center of the room, and for pro¬ 
tection set within a larger vessel. Thoroughgoing precautions must 
be taken to prevent accidental overflowing or the starting of a fire, 
and after the fumigation the house should be given a thorough airing. 
“Other gases have been experimented with, such as formalin and 
the vapors of benzine, naphthalene, and camphor, but these gases are 
of little value. Similarly, insect powders are of little value, largely 
from the difficulty of getting them into the crevices and other places 
of concealment of the insects. 
“The old-fashioned household remedies referred to below are effec¬ 
tive enough, though at a greater cost of time and personal effort. 
They will, however, be often of much service in the case of slight or 
* Creel, R. H., and Faget, F. M., Cyanide Gas for the Destruction of Insects, with Special Reference 
to Mosquitoes, Fleas, Body Lice, and Bedbugs: Publio Health Reports, June 9, 1916, pp. 1464-1475; 
Reprint No. 343. 
