Goodbye, Mr. Roach (ca. 1959)

recognize this gentleman in English he is called cockroach croen bug roach water bug or black beetle the Germans call him Shaban the French laat and in Spanish he is known as lukara no matter what the language or country the cockroach is an unwelcome and disgusting pest in any home let's take a look at seor karacha how and where he lives and better still how to get rid of him [Music] [Applause] [Music] roaches are one of the oldest insects having lived in the days of the dinosaur fortunately for us the size of our roach today is extremely small compared with his ancestors roaches of the days of the dinosaur were several feet long today some roaches found in the tropics grow three or four times larger than our common American cockroach the true home of the roach is outdoors beneath the bark of trees and under rocks this has resulted in their bodies heads and legs becoming flattened allowing them to hide in small cracks and crevices there are about 2,000 different kinds of roaches but only four have adapted to life indoors the largest of these is the American Roach adults may be from 1 and 1/2 to 2 in long reddish brown to dark brown in [Music] color the Oriental cockroach sometimes called black beetle because of their short Wings heavy body and dark color are slightly smaller than their American cousin the brown banded roach is the smallest of our four kinds and brightest in color they like high places such as the ceiling and upper cabinets in a kitchen this makes them a little harder to control the German roach is the most common and is often called croen bug or waterbug adults are slightly larger than the brown banded but are still less than 1 in long and light brown in color here are all four together left to right the American Oriental Brown banded and the German roaches may come into a home several different ways sewers or basement drains are one of the most common they can also enter through any openings in the walls such as around electrical conduits or Plumbing or through cracks in the baseboard or underd doors roaches can be carried into a home in laundry packages or in boxes of groceries all packages which might possibly contain roaches should be examined carefully if an adult carrying an egg capsule gets away a population of roaches is likely to develop the capsule which may contain as many as 48 eggs is deposited in a hidden location when the eggs develop into young roaches they push open the capsule to emerge [Music] oh [Music] these young nymphs are extremely active and will begin to search for food immediately a few days later the young roaches turn to a yellowish brown color still in the nymph stage these roaches are almost grown but have not yet developed wings wings are present only on adults after several Generations a large Colony will develop creating a very unpleasant odor in the house roaches destroy food damage Fabrics books and other materials by polluting food over which they run they spread filth and may carry diseases when roach pop you ations build up their presence is easily noted by roach spots in places where they congregate such as in cabinets drawers and behind pictures roaches hide during the day in sheltered Dark Places at night they come out in search of food and water a good way to find roaches is to enter a dark room quietly snap on the lights and watch where they run to hide they may be found in cracks in the baseboard around water pipes underneath the sink behind cabinets or any other place they can hide from the light scientists have worked for years developing insecticides to control roaches DDT proved fairly effective but later another chemical chlordane was developed and today it is considered to be one of the most effective insecticides for for roach control chlordane is available in liquid or powder form for home use it should be purchased as a 2 to 3% oil base spray or as a 5 to 6% dust read the label of any insecticide you purchase to make sure it contains the proper amount of the active [Music] chemical a single treatment of chlordane Applied correctly leaves an invisible film which gives protection for several weeks for most effective results the material should be applied to all secluded places and cracks so that no matter where the roach tries to hide he will come in contact with the residue special attention should be given to baseboards the area under the sink should be treated carefully as it is a favorite hiding spot for roaches [Music] especially around the water pipes where roaches often enter hard to reach places such as behind the stove can be effectively treated with the dust form of chlordane a small puff duster makes the job [Music] easier if cabinet drawers are clean thoroughly it will not be necessary to treat inside them a small paintbrush makes it easy to apply the insecticide or around the back and under [Music] surfaces before treating cabinets and other storage places first remove all food and utensils here again the brush makes it easy to apply the insecticide effectively [Music] after the insecticide dries the Shelf should be covered with paper before replacing the food or [Music] utensils proper and thorough treatment will eliminate Mr roach from this kitchen for some time to come treatment of other areas of the house where roaches are found will Aid in making a roach free home Roach free communities are the result of careful planning and cooperation of city county and state organizations Citywide campaigns are successful in eliminating roaches where they breed in large numbers the application of chlordane dust to sewers and other breeding places has become a standard practice in many cities this is often done with the cooperation of commercial exterminators [Music] with both individual and Community Action we can control roaches in our homes and reduce the nuisance and danger of this common pest the development of insecticides has kept pace with our modern way of life today chemicals are available which will kill insects weeks after they're applied through proper use of these chemicals by individuals and communities we can say goodbye to Mr roach our number one household pest [Music] the [Music]