Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1875 — The Cockroach. [ARTICLE]

The Cockroach.

One cannot contemplate this little domestic pet without a shiver of disgust, yet it is worth while to know something of its life-history. The more facts we can gather regarding the habits of the insects that infest our houses and fields the better we are able to resist their invasion and set limits to their increase. The common cockroach (Blatta oritntalii) is supposed to have originated in Asia, whence it was carried to Europe, and from there brought to America. It had so overrun England that it may be said to have taken possession of the island. It was at first confined to seaport towns, but is now found in every nook and corner of ..the Kingdom. As the female cockroach is wingless, and depends wholly upon its legs for locomotion, it is evident that its rapid spread is owing to its transportation from place to place in baggage, freight, and even in the wearing apparel. The insect is so

abundant and troublesome in Rondon that traps for catching it are' a common article of Sale in all the hardware stores. The iqaect lays its eggs in a silky cap- ' sole that is in the ’form of a bean, with two valves in the interior dividing it into two apartments, each containing a row of separate chambers, about thirty in number, and gach chamber inclosing a single egg. The capsule or egg-case is about three-eighths of an inch in length, and nearly three-sixteenths of an inch wide. Many days are required for oviposition, and during this period the female may be seen running about with the capsule partly protruding from her body. It is at this time that the embryos are formed, and shortly after the capsule is dropped the larvae are hatched. Hummel, the German naturalist, once placed a female cockroach and an egg-pouch that had just been abandoned by another female under a bell-glass. On discovering the pouch the cockroach examined it carefully, turning it about in all directions and then, taking it between her front legs, made a longitudinal opening in it. Through this opening she assisted the little white larvae to come forth, aiding them gently with her antennae. In a few seconds after their liberation the larvae were able to walk, after which the accoucheuse left them to take care of themselves. In ordinary circumstances the larvae, as soon as they are excluded from the egg held in the pouch, discharge a liquid which softens the cement closing the toothed edges of the longitudinal slit in the capsule, and thus are able to emerge from it into the outer world. As soon as they have escaped the opening of the capsule or egg-pouch closes again, and thus the empty case looks exactly as it did before it lost its contents. The larvae change their skin six times before reaching the perfect state. They are colorless on first emerging from the old skin, but assume their usual tint in the course of a few days. At the fifth molt the insect enters the pupa state, and at the sixth, which takes place at the end of six weeks, the pupa becomes a perfect insect. The female is distinguished from the male by the larger size of the abdomen and by the inferior size of the wings and elytra. The cockroach is omnivorous, and devours all sorts of dead substances, vegetable and animal. It is fond of the blacking on boots, and will consume the leather and all. But while it does so much damage by eating garments and destroying provisions it may in some cases render an efficient service. It feasts upon the bed-bug with extreme avidity, and will rid a ship or a house of the noxious creature. It would be a hard question, however, for housekeepers to decide which of these two pests they would prefer to cherish at the expense of the other. There is some comfort in knowing that the cockroach also has some natural enemies among the lower animals. The hedgehog considers it delectable food, and a tame one kept in a kitchen will clear the apartment of the terrible nuisance. Almost all insectivorous birds are also fond of the cockroach. Mr. Wood, the English naturalist, relates a story which shows that to some human palates the cockroach is an exceedingly agreeable titbit. Two young ladies from Jamaica, who were at school in London some thirty years ago, were found to have the habit of rising at night and descending into the kitchen in order to sup upon cockroaches. When remonstrated with upon the filthy practice they defended themselves by saying cockroaches were clean feeders, ana certainly as fit for eating as shrimps. The disagreeable odor which the cockroach emits, and which soon permeates all places that it inhabits, proceeds from a dark-colored fluid which it discharges from the mouth. The cockroach loves warmth and moisture, hence its populousness in kitchens where fire and water are almost ever present. It is a night-prowler, and swarms out from its secret lairs on the departure of daylight.

For the destruction of the coackroach Mr. Harris, the late eminent entomologist, recommends a mixture containing a tablespoonful of red lead, the same amount of Indian meal, with molasses enough to make a thick batter. Set this on a plate at night in places frequented by the insects and all that eat of it will be poisoned. Another preparation is composed of one teaspoonful of powdered arsenic with a tablespoonful of mashed potato. Crumble this every night at bed-time where the insects will find it, and it is said to be an effectual poison. Great care should be exercised in the use of such dangerous agents. An innocent method of destroying cockroaches is to place a bowl or basin containing a little molasses on the floor at night. A bit of wood, resting one end on the floor and the other on the edge of the vessel, serves as a bridge to conduct the insects to the sweet deposit. Once in the trap and its slippery sides prevent retreat, and thus cockroaches may be caught by the thousands. Various insect powders sold at the druggists may be used for their extermination. Some tropical species of cockroach are of enormous size and very troublesome from their habit of flying. The kakerla insignia, which inhabits Cayenne and Brazil, sometimes exceeds an' inch and three-quarters in length, and in the extent of its wings four inches and a half. They are the pest of the Antilles, where they so abound that walls, floors, furniture, everything are covered with them, and it is impossible to preserve food from their depredations. It is affirmed that they will in a single night eat holes into trunks, cases and bags, and destroy objects that were supposed to be inaccessible to them. The Kakerla Americana, which infests the warm legions of the United States, is from one to one and a half inches long. One species of cockroach, the Platamodes unicolor, is very abundant in the woods in Illinois. 'lt may be found under the loose bark of stumps and decayed trees at all seasons of the year. Its egg-cases are about half an inch in length, and of a shining, mahogany color. The Blatta Germanica and Blatta Lapponica, two European species, run wild in the woods about Paris. They are both domesticated in the northern counties of the Continent. It is claimed that the B. Germanica was introduced into Russia by the army returning from the seven-years’ war. It is now very. common in the houses of St. Petersburg. It eats almost everything, but prefers white bread to flour and meat. The Blatta Lapponica is very destructive to the smoked fish prepared for winter. The “ Croton bug” (Kctobia Germanica) that so tries the souls of housekeepers in New York, Boston, and Chicago even, is a pale, small species of cockroach. — Chicano TribuneNaw Yom city consumes during the berry season nearly 300,000 quarts of strawberries daily.