The Opelousas courier., 1894-05-26
IT FEEDS ON CARPETS.
THE TROUBLESOME CARPET BEE
TLE'' OR BUFFALO BUG"
First Discovered About Twcht " Years
Ago-The Pest Described How 1t
Nav re Bastroye1

NY HE carpet beetle (Anthrenus
scropularia) also known as
''thc buffalo bug" was, like
6 almost every other n"oxious
insect to be found in this country, in,
troduced from Europe, and, though it
has hardly been i'll the country twenty
years, has thoroughly made its home
among us and has done incalculable
damage.
Professor J. A. Lintner, the State
entomologlst, in M of his reports
says that the insect Was first discov-
cred in 1874, aud he found it in his
own house at Schenectady in 1876. In
describing the pest he writes:
The earliest beetles emerge in Octo-
Der and continue appearing during
the fall. winter and spring months.
They pair o after appearance, and
the female almost at once lays eggs in
cracks of the floor and in hooks, SO
that during the next summer the car
pet may be vet more eaten.
The beetle is quite small, smaller
than would be ordinarily expected,
considering the size of the larva-be-
ing only about one-eighth of an inch
long by one-twelfth of an inch broad.
1t is almost q perfect ellipse and its
back and under surface are rounded.
When turned upon its back it coun-
t~erfeits death, with its legs $ closely
folded to the surface as scarcely TO be
seen, and in this state the ordinary OBJ
serve might be at a loss to know the
lower from the upper side.
1t is a beautifully marked insect, in
it's contrasting colors of white, black
and scarlet, arranged as follows: The
edge of the ~wing-oovers, where they
meet on the back. is bordered with
red, forming a center red line, with
three deep red projections from it out
wardly-one on the middle ofthe back
and one other toward each end. At
the extreme tip of the wing-covers is a
widening of the bordering line,
making almost a fourth projection
from it. The first projection near the
head is connected with q white spot,
running upward on the middle of the
front border of the w~ing-cover. On
the outer border of the w~ing-covers
are three white spots, nearly opposite
the red projections. The intermediate
pieces are black. The segments of the
body beneath are covered with pale
red scales, and the thoracic region,
which bears the legs, with whitish
scales.
Professor W. Beuttenmuller ento-
mologist at the Natural History
museum, said a few days ago: 'sThese
insects have done considerable damage
to carpets and rugs since the little
pests were introduced here, twenty
years ago. Those carpets, however,
which are frequently taken up and
shaken are little, if at all,
damaged, for they are no longer a
comfortable dwelling place for this in
sect, which is Of u s%ecretiye and re-
firing disposition.
cit seems probable that the pest
was imported simultaneously by car
pet dealers in New York and Boston,
and thence shipped in goods to inland
cities. DR.. r. Hagen. of Cambridge,
in 1875, for instance, traced three
quarters of the infected carpets
brought to his notice to a particular
line of goods sold in a single estab-
lishment in Boston. At the present
day this insect is one of the greatest
household pests in the New England
States. 1t destroys carpets and all
WOODEN goods, while furs donot escape
its attacks.
"The beetles fly to the windows and
may cTten be caught upon the panes
of glass; they are also captured out of
doors upon flowers. The insect gen.
orally attacks the carpets around the
borders of the room. The remedies
are benzoline and napthaline but per-
haps the best way to get rid of them is
to lay a wet cloth over the carpet and
iron with a hot flat-iron; the steam
generated will certainly kill everylarva
it in contact with. Other rem
edies are camphor, pepper, tobacco
turpentine and carbolic acid
Inquiry was made of n of the larg-
est carpet dealers as to what he adj
vised as the best way to destroy the
pest. "Pest! My dear sir, we don't
consider it a pest. In fact, the buf-
falo bug is one OF our best consumers:
but if people want to get rid of them
I can recommend the following: Take
every piece of furniture out of the
room and open every door and WIN.
dow; and if it is a windy day oil the
better. Take a stiff broom and sweep
over the carpet with a strong hand,
paying particular attention to the
edges and those spots over which fur
nlture has been resting. This done,
say once a month, will effectually keep
away the carpet bug"
1t may be addedthat the name s'buf-
falo bug" was not derived from the city
of that name in this State, but was given
to the insect years ago in California
owing to its miniature resemblance tc
the now almost extinct animal. 1t had
been probably brought to California
from Europe by the Spaniards New
York Tribune.
Cotton has been cultivated since
" nrn of 4ho