The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-08-23
SUMMER INSECT PESTS.
HOW TO PROTECT THE HOUSE FROM
THESE ANNoYANcEs.

Hand Ia Hand-A Home Made Annthi-
lator-Fliea thB Domestic scavsngsrs-
Chalk and Red Pepper Used for Ants.
When the wilderness begins 10 bios
som as the rose 1t is a good thing 10
keep in mind the insect nuisances that
come with the blossoms Among these
as most important may be considered
the pestiferous mosquito. the noisy
fly, the active ant and the willy spider.
Not alone on the highways and hedges
do these small creatures seek their
prey, but. with a devotion which man
kind has never appreciated. they aim
to become dodgers In every residence
in the countryside. The social quail
tiles OF the mosquito and the fly, while
they may have some high altruistic
significance. are far from appreciated
by man in his present stage Of spirit
ual development Indeed. the intro
Besides the aforementioned insect
has gone far toward breaking up many
a happy home Men and women of
otherwise placid dispositions have
been reduced to savagery after en-
/ forced attendance at one of the mid
/ night feasts and musicales for which
the mosquito Is famed. and fly in the
butter has helped swell the records
of the divorce courts to an extent
which students of social conditions
/ might find amazing.
Besides the aforementioned insect
brigands the roach and the bedbug are
to be reckoned with in early spring,
and the sand flea is also abroad in the
land, awaiting whom he may devour.
There is not a neighborhood any
where that can claim immunity from
insect annoyers.
Before the LIST of May every win
dow in the house should be covered
with screens of wire. if possible. or
of cotton netting when tho wire
frames are beyond the means Of the
family. These frames will keep out
both flies and mosquitoes. and if they
have never been tried the comfort of
using them cannot be appreciated.
Country people and those who live
on the outskirts of town where there
are vacant spaces in which POOLS Of
water accumulate after a rain are es-
pecially open to attac..s from mos
quitoes. The little creatures breed
in water, and the more stagnant it is
the better they like it.
Those who live near lakes or other
small bodies Of water have to be par
ticularly wary of the mosquito 1t ar
rives about the LIST of May and raises
several families before a final disap-
pearance. The actual life of a mos
quito is about 80 days, but it is &C
tive in the work Of bloodsucking for
only about six days. It is the female
mosquito that is troublesome. She
prowls abroad at night plying the
trade Of midnight assassin, while the
male mosquito stays quietly at home,
v a respectable vegetarian, with a de-
cent aversion to the ruby beverage
that sends his spouse reeling home
at all hours Of the morning.
Mosquito screens on the windows
and doors and canopies over the beds
are the only protection in regions
some. White netting makes the hand.
. soonest canopies, but the green ones
are perhaps more serviceable.
Once the pests have got into the
, house there are a number of ways OF
[ eliminating them. One is to close
where they are suspected of lurking
, and to burn pyrothrum powder. The
, powder should be moistened anj
= rounded into little cones for convent
, ence in igniting. The cones are
lighted at the apex and burn slowly
: filling the room with a dense smoke
which is death to the mosquitoes. two
or three cones will clear a room o
, mosquitoes, but beyond being a tridc
= nauseating the powder has no i'll effec
on human beings.
When the marauders can be seer
perched upon the ceiling the best wa.
4 to settle accounts with them is t.
! apply the kerosene cup. This is
/ homemade apparatus, consisting of
i shallow tin cup or can cut off at tn
d top and nailed to a broom handle
|. The kerosene, to a depth of an inc
q or two, is poured into Uh
P can and the cup is raise
/ directly under the mosquito
s which, rendered limp and senseless b
r the odor, drops into the fluid. This i
L better than fiouting the insects wit
e towel, the custom of the unhapp
IS householder who desperately arises q
If midnight.
o Camphor, pennyroyal and citronelli