El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-09-09
by
Rene Bache

: over a stone or a log without disclos-
ing three or four wicked lookinS
! speciments. not very large. but of pa.e
hue. this popularity of color bein.
deemed a dangerous indica ton, and OF
ferOcious disposition. But the scorpion
though its sting is painful. IS much less
! feared than the centipede. 1t seems 10
I be attracted. oddly enough. by the
/ smell of leather. and our soldiers are
| obliged. as a matter of precaution, al
! ways to shake out their boots before
! putting them on.
Giant Bed Bug Flies.
! What Is known in Texas and New
3 Mexico as the great big bedbug'' is III
that region a really dangerous crea-
8 ture Imagine an ordinary bedbur
! inch. with d pointed head, a strong
I beak for biting, and a buggy" odo-
horribly intense. and you will have
rotion Of what this insect is like But
! in addition you must provide IL with
Wlngs for this giant bedbug is a flyer.
1t flies only at night and is at
tracted into houses by light Soldiers
IN camp can hardly escape its attacks
Its bite is not only painful, but poison
Gus. giving rise to sores that are diff
cult to heal The only thing that can
he done for bitten persons is TO apply
permanganate of potash and other anti
septics.
Insects Interfere With Operation
The whole problem of military opera
tions along the Mexican border. or in
Mexico. for that matter. is largely
modified by insect enemies. Our mill
tary authorities have learned much
about the control of such foes from the
recent experience of European armies:
but the latter. for the most part. are
not fighting in regions so friChtfully
afflicted with obnoxious bugs" as is
the territory now occupied by American
troops in the southwest
Consider the mere matter of ticks.
particular has a fancy for getting into
persons ears There is kind Of fly
that lays its eggs. when il gets a
chance, IN sleeping mans nostrils,
and. II this happens, he will die. unless
prompt surgical aid is at hand Fo.-
tunately. this fly is on the wing only
in the daytime 1t is about the size
of common "bluebottle," metallic
blue or green in color, and with three
stripes along the back The eggs
hatch out screw worms" which bur
row into the living flesh. An open
wound offers TO this insect an attrac-
Common BedbuG Terrible AffIiction.
The common bedbug, obnoxious
enough in ordinary dwellings goodness
knows. becomes in that warm region.
in camps and barracks. a really terri
bic affliction- It multiplies with such
rapidity that the measures commonly
adopted for its determination fail The
soldiers cots have to be dipped bodily
soda, to destroy the insects and their
eggs Kerosene and benzine are pier
tifully applied to folds and seams Of
tents and cracks in wooden flooring.
Louise Causes Camp Fever"
The question is not merely one IF !
escaping annoyance many Of the in :
sects concerned. the bedbuC not ex- (
cepted. are caNiers of disease There /
IS the louise. that ca aries typhuS AMI
The flea, which is a carrier Of plague.
Typhus has long been endemic. l. o.
established. in Mexico II I
s the camp fever" that has during
many centuries been a destroyer Of
lrnies all over the world. At all haZ- !
Irds our troops must be made safe
rom il
How is this to be Accomplished
Veil il cannot be done with certainty
But a fair degree Of immunity can %
obtained by busting the sleeping
ground with sulphur. saturatinC cloth
ng and bedclOthes with chemical solu- /
ions. and causing the men to lather
themselves with corrosive sublinate :
Dap II is mainly a matter Of cleanli- ]
less but oh, how difficult 10 keer
lean in such a climate and such an
Flea Delights in Dirt
What is bad for the typhus carrying !
cuse is a deterrent or the flea, but
My in some degree Fleas love dir: Z
therefore, every native Mexican dwell I
ng is heavily infested with them |
'ersian insect powder kills them. so !
oes kerosene or crude petroleum But /
here is a kind of flea. very common / !
long the border. that boreS under the
oenail or into the sole of the foot I
uickly disa bling a man for marching :
r fighting The only thing to do Is /
D dig it out quick. and treat the /