Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-07-25
TO BE RID OF VERMIN.
A PROFESSIONAL INSECT DESTROYER
TELLS WHAT TO DO.

The Chief weapons Are Constant Vigil
lance and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., u Jul
diciously Applied. Is Terror 10 the
Loathsoms Bedbug.
If you win walk over to the east side
some day. up one of the crooked streets
that lead out Of the City Hall park, you
will come presently 10 small, swinging
sign that reads, "Rat Exterminator and
Insect Destroyer" and, entering, you viii
find. in place of small, dingy shop and
a queer. little. grimy faced, long haired
old man that You may have imagined to
yourself. bright, airy Office, window
full of singing birds, a young girl with
some crochet work in her hands and
pleasant looking middle aged woman in
a tastefully made black gown.
"You would like to know something
about our business" asked the woman.
''Oh. yes! A great many people come
in TO inquire. Take chair and | will
tell you what can aboutit. Mr.. Catcher
has been in the business for long time.
We have our regular customers, and EN-
ploy seven men to visit them at stated
intervals and keep their houses free from
vermin- They go, generally, two or
three times week.
.'You see, 1t is work that must be kept
MP all the time, like sweeping or dish
washing. and if you leave it to servants
they are apt to neglect it after little.
Sometimes people think they can get
along without US, and have their porters
or other man servants do the work
They do very well for a week or two;
then they grow careless and their EN-
ployers have to send for us again.
who are our customers All sorts of
people. We send men to stores and
warehouses. hotels, fats and private
houses. Mr.. Catcher has worked for
some of his customers for years. They
employ him generally by the year, or
4 for six months at time. He has to be
very careful about his men. They must
be honest and have good characters, or
/ he would not dare to send them into peo-
pies houses.
HOW HE WORKS.
"How does he do his work? II he is
hunting reaches or croton bugs he first
sprays all Of the cracks in the floors and
woodwork Of room with liquid prep
aration that he has, and then sprinkles
around very thoroughly white powder,
and in day or two he goes and cleans
up the dead bugs. He does not attempt
to rid houses of bedbugs when they are
| in the furniture. That is out OF his line.
But sometimes people send for him to
have him clear them out of the walls Of
houses before they move in, and then he
goes to work Just as he does against the
reaches.
For rats and mice he sets traps, often
twenty or thirty at a time. and when he
goes for them the next day he generally
finds them full He has them baited
here, and then sets them around in the
places where the creatures are in the
habit of coming out, and after they are
emptied they are all thoroughly cleansed
before being used again.
"Yes, indeed, he has ants to fight
against, and they are worse than any.
thing else to get rid of.
People send for him all the time.
! They write or telegraph to him, The
rats are getting so thick that they arc
running away with us. Have you for.
gotten about MS? or The mice are eating
mp everything in the house; come and
help usT
I'm keeping house free from vermir
remember that eternal vigilance is thC
price of freedom from bugs and othel
predatory household foes of all kinds
: CLEANLINESS Is IMPORTANT
"Do not allow bits of food to stand
around uncovered on your tables or pan
, try shelves; allow no scraps or crumbs
to collect in out of tine way coreers; keel
your sinks and drain pipes clean and FIRE,
from grease-this you can do by scald
ing them out once or twice week will
hot water in which you have dissolved
large lump of salsoda; wash your shelve;
occasionally with hot borax water. AMI
sprinkle around the edges Of them anC
around the sides Of your kitchen floor
mixture of equal parts of powdered BORA
and sugar
''If You have been unfortunate enough
: TO move into house where there arr
g bedbugs benzine used daily with pstienc
{ and perseverance will exterminate them
Apply with feather or an atomizer t,
every crack and creYice that may posi-
bly, harbor the smallest bug, and be sur
that the fumes have all evaporated be
;, fore you light the gas in the room.
;. ''If you want to put away your clothe
G so that the moths win not cut them nj
wrap them well in newspapers and plac
them between layers of other newspaper
thoroughly saturated with turpentine
.: Moths rather enjoy camphor gum ant
actually grow fat on red pepper. bu
from turpentine they will keep at re
spectful distance.
And, last of all, understand tina
whether your enemies creep or fly 0
run, if you would wage successful war
IT, e