FIGURE 45.—German cockroach, or common waterbug, immature stages. Enlarged about 2½ diameters.
COCKROACHES Can Be Quickly Eradicated by Sodium Fluoride
Few insects are more unwelcome in the house than the cockroaches, their only redeeming being that they occasionally eat bedbugs. They usually hide themselves during the day in dark crevices around the house, and emerge at night to feed upon anything edible that can be found. In addition to all types of foodstuffs, they will attack soiled fabrics, bookbindings, gummed labels, and will even nibble the finger nails and eyelashes of sleeping people.
Many people do not really know that the common waterbug (fig. 45), which is about half an inch long, belongs to the same family as the large dark brown, winged or wingless cockroaches that measure as much as 2 inches.
Fortunately, cockroaches are easy to kill. The liberal use of powdered sodium fluoride or sodium fluosilicate, dusted wherever the cockroaches are troublesome, will quickly eradicate them. In extreme cases, where instant relief is desired, fumigation with hydrocyanic-acid gas may be resorted to.