OUR FRIEND THE COCKROACH

There are four common species of cockroaches in the United States, only one of which is native to this country. The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is the large winged species so common in the Middle and Southwestern states. They devour nearly any sort of food, and have been known to eat the corks out of bottles, while no less an authority than Vernon Kellogg says that some sailors in San Francisco sleep with gloves on to keep roaches from gnawing off their finger-nails. The German roach (Ectobia germanica), known also as the croton-bug, is common in the eastern part of the United States. It is the smallest species we have, being seldom more than five-eighths of an inch in length. For some reason or other these roaches are usually found about water pipes, and are not common in small communities which have no water systems. The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is common also in England, and came to America with the early colonists, although it is supposed to have originated in Asia. It is larger and stouter than the croton-bug, and is dark brown or black in color. The males have short wings, but the females are wingless or practically so. The Australian roach (Periplaneta australasiae) is very much like the American variety, except for some yellow spots and bands on the thorax and shoulders. It is less common than any of the others, being found chiefly in the South.

The life histories of all four species are essentially identical. The eggs are not deposited singly, but in clusters enclosed in a horny capsule, the end of which may often be seen projecting from the abdomen of the female. The young roaches appear very much like their parents, but do not reach maturity for several months. The flat bodies of these insects allow them to crawl into small cracks in woodwork and furniture, and they usually remain hidden during the day, coming out at night to seek what they may devour. They are really scavengers, and under certain conditions may be useful in this capacity, but their omnivorous habits and the intolerable stench of their bodies and excreta make them the bane of the careful housewife.

“Cockroaches,” observes the indefatigable Herrick, “are among the most difficult to control of the household pests. They are difficult to reach because they are especially adapted with their thin, flat bodies for hiding away in inaccessible cracks, crevices and crannies. Moreover, they are wary and shy of all baits and traps. The croton-bug is the most difficult of all to get rid of. It seems to display more caution in avoiding traps and baits than most of the others, and as it increases faster, it becomes much more abundant.” Several traps have been devised and used with some measure of success, and roaches may often be killed by feeding them plaster of paris mixed with flour, or by exposing deep jars of stale beer, a delicacy in which they hasten to drown themselves. Herrick quotes Washburn to the effect that powdered borax scattered about the kitchen will clear a house of cockroaches. The best way to completely rid a house of these pests is to fumigate with hydrocyanic acid gas, made by pouring dilute sulphuric acid on potassium cyanide. But this method, as I have pointed out elsewhere in this booklet, is too dangerous for awkward or absent-minded people to experiment with.