Wichita eagle., 1888-04-28
4 CHICAGO BUG KILLER.
Some Of the Secrets Of Els business
Keeping Hotels Clear of Cockrcaches.


The cockroach killer is one of the curios-
tiles of Chicago. Not On account Of his per-
sonal appearance, but OF the novelty Of his
vocation. There are four or five persons who
live BIZ the death of cockroaches, rats and
mice. but the best known is an old German
nearly co years OF age, who has an Office on
Washington street a reporter found the
old gentleman the other day in his place sur
rounded by the deadly compounds be needs
in his business
Eat ali YOU want, its rat poison cor
daily said the old man as the reporter picked
up box of paste That stuff in the red
boxes is cockroach poison, and the bug poison
is in the yellow packages
What is food for the reaches is poison for
the bugs, is it.s
"Yes. Bug poison won't kill cockroaches,
and both of 'em won't Kill rats; rat paste
won't kill them, because they won't eat it"
"How do you kill cockroachesla
"We blow 'em up with powder-not the
kind Of powder that kills men, though See
that funnel on the end of those bellowsi Well,
we put the powder in that. and then blow 1t
through the nozzle into the cracks and crew
ices where he lives. He doesn't live long after.
We kill bugs the same way, using the other
powder"
PAYS pretty well, doesn't it?'
"Oh, fairly. Most of it Is contract work.
We take contracts for cleaning hotels, restau-
rants. stores, dwelling houses, public institu-
tons, bakeries. steamboats,, railroad sleeping
cars or coaches, ETC., Of bedbugs, reaches,
water bugs, moths or ants. for so much a
year"
How much77
That depends on the size and character of
fireplace. To keep hotels clear is worth from
$40 to 500 a year. We've quit taking motel
contracts because they are unsatisfactory.
The powder only kills the bugs or reaches that
touch or eat it, Sometimes they hide III their
holes where the powder won't reach them,
but when they get hungry and come out the
powder fixes them. The trouble with hotel
people is that they won't obey Instructions,
and close the rooms and not sweep up the
powder before twenty-four hours have
elapsed. They sweep it up before we're ont
OF the house fairly, and then they howl be-
cause we didn't kill all the bugs"
How about restaurants"
They're good contracts, next to pri-
Vate houses. I've cleaIlSu nuiHDtT Oh
restaurants for over ten years They are
worth from SO to $40; that depends on the
size; same way with saloons. Don't know
why it is, but saloons and printing offices are
the favol.ite domain Of the cockroach."
whats the best season for bugs"
"Bedbugs in the spring and cockroaches in
the fall The bugs breed fastest in the winter,
but the roach waits for warm weather"
(which insect or vermin is hardest to exter-
minGte!"
The moth It gets into the lining Of gar
ments and Is difficult to reach. The powder
will not destroy the pupa, even if covered
with powder. nor when it hatches but the
powder must be applied fresh to the larva.
"a new bug has made its appearance in
Chicago within the last two years. We call
it the sewer bug, because it breeds in the
sewers, and through them gets into the
houses They are hard to kill, and destroy
carpets, leather and clothing. They are a
species OF beetle, but have no wings This
summer another new bug has made its ap-
pearance in the east It has not reached Chi
caro- vet. The name of buffalo bug has
been applied to it because it was discovered
in Buffalo. " Y, and literally abounds
there. It's working its way west, and will
probably be here next spring. Inter Ocean