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Household and Garden Pests: Vermin

Whitewash for Vermin.-Prepare whitewash as usual, and add to 1 gallon 4 ounces of corrosive sublimate or 2 ounces of powdered copperas previously dissolved in boiling water. Alum Wash for Vermin. - Dissolve 1 or 2 pounds of alum to 1 gallon of water by boiling until dissolved. Apply with an oil can, a brush, or otherwise. Benzine Wash for Vermin. - Make suds of hard white or yellow soap, using about bar of soap to 1 pailful of water, and add 1 pint of benzine.

Use to wash floors or woodwork. Apply with a brush, mop, or otherwise. Phosphorus Paste for Vermin. - Mix 2 drams of phosphorus with 2 ounces of lard, and add 6 ounces of flour and 2 ounces of brown sugar, making the whole into a paste with a little water. Add to this for rats or mice a small quantity of cheese.

But remember that phosphorus is easily set on fire by friction, also that it must not be allowed to fall on the skin, as it burns the flesh, forming a dangerous ulcer. Hence pure phosphorus, which is a solid, is kept under water and handled by means of pincers or a sharp-pointed penknife. To mix the above, place the phosphorus in a wide-mouthed glass bottle and pour over it an ounce or so of alcohol. Immerse the bottle in hot water until the phosphorus is melted.

Cork it and shake vigorously until cold. Pour off the spirit, mix the phosphorus and lard, and add the other ingredients previously mixed together. - Salberg Vermin Wash. Mix bichloride of mercury, 2 ounces; spirits of turpentine, 6 ounces; muriatic acid, 1 ounce; water, 100 ounces.

CARPET BEETLE OR "BUFFALO MOTH" The destructive habits of these common and injurious pests are well known. The mischief is done by this insect in its larval stage, when it feeds upon woolen goods, particularly carpets. It is then rather less a e FIG. 1.-The Carpet Beetle: a, Adult; b, Pиpa, Ventral View; c, Pupa within Larval Skin; d, Larva, Dorsal View. All enlarged (from Riley). than a fourth of an inch in length, and is covered with stiff brown hair.

It is often discovered working about the edges of carpets making irregular holes or following the line of a floor crack, and thus cutting the carpet in a long slit. It is most common in the northern and eastern portions of the United States, and most active in the summer months, although in well-heated houses it may continue its depredations the year round. The adult insect is a black and white beetle, having a red stripe down its back. It is rather less than one fourth of an inch in length.

The carpet beetle is rarely found in houses having polished floors with rugs, straw mattings, or oilcloth as floor coverings, and this fact suggests the most effective remedy. When the house has become infested with these insects, it is very difficult to eradicate them. Thorough house cleaning at least twice a year is advisable. And a special house cleaning toward the middle or latter part of the summer is particularly effective. Take up the carpets, beat them, spray with benzine, and hang on the line to air in the direct sunshine all day. Wash down floors and spray the floor and crevices about the baseboards with benzine or kerosene. Meantime open the windows and ventilate thoroughly before introducing a light. Fill all floor cracks and cracks about the baseboards with suitable crack-fillers, as elsewhere recommended, and, if possible, before relaying the carpet, cover the floor with a lining of tarred roofing paper. Tack the carpet loosely, and occasionally look under the edges to see if insects have put in an appearance. In that case lay a wet cloth over the spot and iron dry with a very hot iron. Steam until the insects are exterminated. Or fumigate the premises with sulphur or bisulphide of carbon or hydrocyanic-acid gas.

THE HOUSE CENTIPEDE This insect is most commonly found in moist, warm localities, as in cellars, closets, and bathrooms. Its wellknown appearance, rapid movements, and the fact that its bite is supposed to be poisonous, causes it to be an object of alarm. The centipede probably never bites human beings except in self-defense, but it is known to be carnivorous in its habits and feeds upon roaches, bedbugs, and other insects. The effect of its bite depends upon the susceptibility of the individual, but in the case of most persons, it is very slightly poisonous, causing an inflammation similar to that of a mosquito bite, which may be allayed by promptly treating it with aqua ammonia. This insect rarely occurs in sufficient numbers to make any special mode of treatment necessary. Open plumbing and care to avoid the accumulation of moisture in any part of the house are the best preventives. Bathrooms, closets, and other localities where they harbor may be inspected occasionally and the insect killed when they make their appearance by means of a wire or screen fly killer.