Evening star., 1914-04-19
UNCLE SAM TELLS HOW
TO KILL COCKROACHES
Warm Spring Weather Is Likely to
Cause Their Rapid
Multiplication.

With the approach of warm spring
weather, cockroaches multiply rapidly
and leave their winter hiding places. n
cockroaches are troublesome in the
house the following simple remedy is
recommended by one of the Department
of Agrcultures scientists. who promises
it will unquestionably destroy great
quantities of the pest:
Mix one part of plaster of paris and
three or four parts of Hour Place this
dry mixture in a saucer or on fiat
piece of wood or tin where reaches are
numerous. Nearby place another fiat
plate containing pure water. Supply a
few inclines of wood or cardboard from
the floor to the edge of the plate. or
saucer to give easy access. Float one or
two thin pieces OF wood on the water 50
that they will touch the edge of the dish
The insects readily eat the plaster mix
ture. become thirsty and drink Ihe
water makes the plaster set in the i'll
testines and kills the roach. Sucn traps
may be placed in pantries. and bakeries
in particular, with good results.
Another simple trap which has been
successfully used is the following: :
deep vessel or jar is partially filled with
stale beer for which reaches seem TO
have a special fondness \ number 0:
fiat strips of rough wood are placed
at an incline against the vessel and bent
over SO that they project into the n
terror a few inches. The reaches climb
UP the inclined sticks to get the beer am
slip off into the vessel
Successful French Trap.
A French trap that has been used with
success is the following: Some attractive
bait such as stale beer -four or sliced
raw potato is placed in a box. the cove
of which is replaced by four glass plate
Joined except at the bottom. The reaches
fall from these pieces of glass into the
box and are unable to escape.
There are various poisons which it Is
asserted are fairly effective as remedies
against reaches. The only one of these
that seems to give satisfactory results IS
a phosphorus paste. sold in the form OF
pills. 1t consists of sweetened -four past
containing l to = per cent Of phosphorus.
and is spread on bits of paper or card
board and placed in the runways of the
reaches. This mixture has been use,i
very successfully in the department Il
free desks from croton bugs. numbers O.
the dead insects being found in the draw
ers every day during the time the poison
was kept about As phosphorus is pois
onous to human beings and domestic ani
mails. besides being highly infiammable.
it should be used very carefully
Only Partial Remedy.
Considerable relief may be gained by
liberal use of pyrethrum powder. 1t is
not perfect remedy. however. and is al
best but a temporary expedient, while IL
soils shelves and other objects over which
it is busted. 1t should be used fresh and
literally applied. Reaches are often pan
alyzed by it when not killed outright. and
the morning after an application the in
tested premises should be gone over and
all dead or partially paralyZed reaches
swept up and burned.
Pyrethrum may also be burned in an In
tested apartment. The smoke and va
pors generated by the burning of this in
secticide are often more effective in de-
stroying reaches than the application OF
the substance in the ordinary way as d
powder There is no attendant danger OF
explosion and the only precaution neces-
sary is to see that the room is kept tight
ly closed for from six to twelve hours.