Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-09-24
OF FOREIGN ORIGIN.
Most Of the Bugs Hated by Housewiv
Have Come from Abroad.

Most OF the Bugs Hated by Housewives
Have Come from Abroad.
The carpet beetle, which has chosen
Washington as the first place to make
its appearance in as domestic de-
stroyer, is soon to spread through all
American cities; at all events. the
division of entomology in the Depart
ment of Agriculture so declares. 1t
hides in cracks and eats canals through
tho carpets, much as does the buffalo
bug. which it resembles somewhat
Curiously enough, by the way, the buff
falo- bug does not live in this city at
all; it only thrives north of the Balti-
moro latitude, and has not thus far got
further west than Chicago, though
it already swarms in all the towns
between New York and the metropolis
by the lake. It was introduced to this
country from Europe, of which it is a
native, in 1874, being brought over to
Boston in batch of carpets consigned
to firm in that city. Ohio has only
known it within the last two or three
years; doubtless it will reach the Pacific
coast before long. 1t is an interesting
fact that the new carpet beetle is not
novelty as pest; it has been known for
a long time past, but only as museum
destroyer" addicted to attacking any
thing edible to be found in collections,
such as dried spiders, stuffed birds and
skeletons out of which grease has not
been thoroughly dried.
It is a melancholy thing to record the
fact that bugs imported from abroad
almost invariably drive out the native
American insects Of like species by the
operation of the law which determines
the survival of the fittest. This has
been the case with the domestic cock
roach. The common black cockroach
in this country to-day is an immigrant
from the shores of the Mediterranean.
very bold and fierce, and is much given
to travel, 80 that it is often called the
''ship cockroach." 1t has made its way
all over the world, and within the last
few years has almost driven the brown
American cockroach, once 50 numerous,
out of existence. The fate OF the brown
cockroaoh closely resembles that Of
the black rat, which has been
wiped off the surface of this
continent by the bigger brown
''ship-rat" from Persia. The brown
cockroach grows to be about as big as
the black cockroach-an inch in length,
that is-but the European cockroach
has been familiar with the conditions
of civilization for many more centuries.
and is thus better able to adapt himself
to circumstances as he finds them here;
hence his survival, according to Prof.
-Riley's theory.
The most successful cockroach in this
country to-day is the so-called 'Croton
bug" which came from Germany, and
first excited attention at that time
when the laying of the Croton water
pipes gave opportunities for the dis
tributing of its spices. Notwithstand-
ing popular prejudice to the contrary,
the cockroach Is an insect of very
clearly habits; it takes the greatest care
of it's person and is constantly engaged
in washing itselfasa cat does, drawing
its attenne through its jaws to moisten
them. Not all cockroaches live in dark
and dirty places; there is kind, native to
the West Indies, that lives in the tops
=
of trees and shrubs The cockroach,
ground up, is included in the German
pharmacopea as vermifuge. Persian
insect powder, by the way, has been dis
covered recently to be an infallible
remedy for tapeworm, taken in ten sue
cessive hour doses of tablespoonful
each; it is altogether harmless The
cockroach is declared to be the oldest of
air-breathing animals; fossils of the in
sect found in the coalbeds are 50 vastly
numerous that the carboniferous epoch
is sometimes referred to as the age of
cockroaches. Many varieties of giant
cockroaches are found in the tropics that
grow to be four inches in length and fly
like birds Washington Cor. St Louis
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