El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-04-11
Government Helps Housewives Fight -By-
WaterbG8s and Other Household Pests Rene Baehs
r AsHINGTON D. G., April IL

IVY ASHINGTON, D. c., April IL
Wv The cockroach problem of late
has been exercising the minds
Of those who do the scientific thinking
for the government It has been dis
covered that reaches and water
bugs" (Which latter are the common
and numerous species OF cOckrOach)
carry typhoid fever and cholera They
have been definitely proved to be ac-
countable in some instances for the
spread and continuance Of typhoid on
board of vessels in the navy.
Reaches feed on all sorts Of filth.
They carry the filth germs to the food
supplies in the pantry. When the food
comes on the table, it may bring dan
gerous infections with it.
Bite Off Eyelnshes.
The navy department has suffered
bugs and reaches. Not only have food
stuffs, books, etc, on shipbOard, been
subject to attack by these insects, but
actually the tOenails OF men and Of
ficers have been nibbled, and their eye
lashes bitten off, in the still watches
Of the night.
The nuisance has been particularly
bad in the older ships, which have
more woodwork about them, shelter
ing reaches in enormous numbers. As
a precautiOn against such infestatiOn,
the newest battleships have no wood
work at all about the galleys and
storerooms, everything being made Of
metal. About a year ago, a determined
effort was made to rid the hospital
ship SOlace of reaches. and nearly a
quarter Of a ton of ordinary bug pow
der (pyrethrum), costing so cents a
pound, was distributed through the
vessel By this means the insects were
greatly reduced in numbers, but the
benefit obtained was only temporary.
and they soon became as much of a pest
as ever.
1r-s--- y
on large scale the results already OBJ
tanned by nearly every housewife in
the land, in her efforts to deal with
reaches. The fact is that nearly all Of
the socalIed reach eXterminators on the
market are merely palliatives; they do
not cure the mischief. They kill most
of the insects, but a good many sur
vive, and within q few weeks the house
hold is as badly infested as ever The
roach pastes' Compounded of honey
and phOsphOrus) are dangerous pois-
Ons.
Use Stale Beer as a Trap.
1t has been ascertained, however, that
reaches may be DESTROYED whOIesaIe
by the adoption of an exceedingly sim
pie eXpedient. They have a great weak
ness for stale beer. There is nothing
indeed, of which they are so fond Ac-
cordingly' if pitcher or other suitable
receptacle pc partly. filled with beer
ana IeIt standing in the pantry or
other infested place over night with
sticks leaned up against it and bent
over inward at the top, they will crawl !
! up tHe sucks and fall into the beer in I
mulJlJudeS. No roach or waterbury that
IS within the smell OF the beer will /
stay away and in this manner a whole /
Lat may De cleared OF its DeStiferous (
pVPulaL 70 IN four or five days.
one OF the most Objectionable Doints |
about reaches is that nature has mo /
Vlded them, for some reason unknown /
Win certain glands which emit an OiIv |
secretion OF offensive Odor This /
LOecny smell is only too familiar to |
Cishes over which they have cravvIad 1
are so fouIed by the secretion in dues-
uon though in appearance clean
enough that food placed in them &C /
4"4I @ d very unpleasant taste.
Reaches That Fly.
toaches are among the most ancient !
" llsecls and doubtless were associated /
WIN the earliest human beings in their
I P 6aa dwellings There are at least !
@vVV species of them now existing in
the world, and in hot ATTITUDES there !
ate grant kinds, brilliantly cOlored /
" ilICH Ily like birds. One Of these has
d wing spread of five inches.
The War on Bugs.
Illasihuch as government experts have
rsceHtly taken the trouble to make a
; pecIai study of means whereby other
.usSCL pests Of the household may be
I mated. American housewives " i'll
,,,o41.-S9S Ne interested IN learning what
~ lelAods should be employed in fight
ing such enemies.
necessarily the bedbug looms Up as
~ ~ eousplcuous Importance. We do not
iSoihInonly. have him with us, Fortunate
- Out he is liable to find his way at
5ny time into the most carefully kept
DOMESTIC establishment.
o az reason for disappearing Of the
y SeuDug IS that it is seriously suspected
= carrying several diseases. 1t is pos
~ ely known to be the carrier of kala-
-NaI, or "black fever" In India. a very