The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-12-22

it9hA6Q bue l8ft LQBt LIS l9U plush
dentlstss chair In which the women
had sat was simply infested with the
vermin- Each woman carried away
upon her clothes a SUFFICIENT number
TO infect her own home. -
Dsspite It's responsiveness to the
layman, the bedbug is an Interesting
study to the scientist. Though NOR
lmally feeding upon human blood It
seems able to thrive upon much
simpler food or. in fact, without any
Inourishment. as specimens kept in u
sealed vial in laboratory for a
whole year appeared as active and
lsprightly as ever when released. They
have existed in houses which have
been untenanted for many years
without In any way weakening their
ings who eventually came to occupy
the dwelling.
A The bedbug evidences q high order
lof Intelligence in concealing itself
from all human enemies who would
exterminate It. For this reason, It Is
usually beyond the reach OF insect
powders. Liberal application OF
benzine or any OF the other. petroleum
Tolls Is usually the most practical
method to employ in bedbug extermi-
nation. A daily inspection of the
beds and other furniture In which
they are known to be concealed is an
important feature of all campaigns
against them. Fumigation BY
hydocyanic gas Is, Of course, the
most thorough means of overcoming
them. but owing to It's poisonous
qualities this gas cannot be safely
employed.
The antagonism Of one insect fam
\ lily to- another Is nowhere more
strongly evidenced than among the
different varieties OF household pests.
The centepide's destruction Of the
moth, roach and bedbug illustrates
this. Reaches in turn are said to be
the snrest safeguard the housewife
can have against the invasion OF the
bedbug as they have been seen to de-
Your these insects with great rapidity
Ships are apt to be infested with bed
bugs. An old writer tells of the ves-
sci Chanticleer being so overrun with
these pests that sleep had become an
impossibility until the arrival at st.
Helena, where a plague OF cock
roaches was in progress. As soon as
these larger reaches made their ap-
pearance upon the ship the smaller
bedbugs disappeared leaving no ves-
tige Of their presence.
Reaches Of different species are re-
garded as among the most disgusting
Of household pests. They have a
nauseous odor when they occur in
any numbers and exude a dark colored
l fluid which can be eradicated only by
washing with soap and hot water.
Dishes from roach infested shelves,
while clean to the eye, will have a
strong unpleasant odor. When tea or
coffee or other hot food is placed N
them, a foreign, unpleasant flavor will
be noticed puzzling to account for.
Reaches display seeming intelligence,
especially in detecting food poisons
prepared for their determination. The
Department t of Agriculture expert
mented by offering pastes containing
arsenic. The insects seemed to de-
tcct the poison readily and avoid it.
Roach powders sometimes work eff
fectively, as do large number Of
proprietary substances sold for In
I sect determination, but they are not
alwss's dependable. Fumigation Is
the most reliable means Of overcom-
j ing the pest. The burning OF pyre-
.theum powder usually clears an in
Tested apartment better than sprink-
ling the powder around. The smoke
and vapor generated is most obnox-
!. ious, especially to the large English
BLACK reaches.
\ No all-the-y ear-round insect pest
gives more annoyance than does the
and, which seems especially prevalent
In modern homes. Several varieties
of. small Industrious insects seem con-
!, stantly putting in an appearance to
TRY the patience OF the housewife. The
smaller the insects, the greater their
numbers. Colonies OF ants which
Twill apparently spring up in single
. might contain inmates in number be-
yond the calculation Of the cleverest
athematician. 1t is claimed that in
many Of the modern buildings ants
eggs existed in the sand used in the
concrete and plastering and that their
life was not affected even by the ce-
ment hardening. This theory is not
supported by the Investigations Of the
!, Department of Agriculture entomolo-
gists. but is accepted unquestionably
by many people who observe the
!, office and apartment buildings which
seem continuously infested by SONS
variety of these active little insects,
which swarm first in one place and
:. then another while their source re-
mains mystery.
Ant traps and powders are abund-
ant and their use Is sometimes cff1c-
,, acious, but tho only really effective
way Of cleaning on ant infected build
ing is by thorough fumigation with
hydrocyanic gas. This process is ex-
pensive and, as 1t may be poisonous
, to adjoining rooms, cannot be em-
ployed in an apartment house.
!. The new London Gaiety produc-