INSECTICIDES
(See also Petroleum.)
The Use Of Hydrocyanic Acid Gas For Exterminating Household Insects.
It may be stated that a dwelling, office, warehouse, or any building may be economically cleared of all pests, provided that the local conditions will permit the use of this gas. It probably would be dangerous to fumigate a building where groceries, dried fruits, meats, or prepared food materials of any kind are stored. Air containing more than 25 per cent of the gas is inflammable; therefore it would be well to put out all fire in an inclosure before fumigating. Hydrocyanic acid, in all its forms, is one of the most violent poisons known, and no neglect should attend its use. There is probably no sure remedy for its effects after it has once entered the blood of any of the higher animals. When cyanide of potassium is being used it should never be allowed to come in contact with the skin, and even a slight odor of the gas should be avoided. Should the operator have any cut or break in the skin of the hands or face it should be carefully covered with court-plaster to prevent the gas coming in contact with the flesh, or a small particle of the solid compound getting into the cut might cause death by poisoning in a few minutes’ time.
Hydrocyanic acid gas should not be used in closely built apartments with single walls between, as more or less of the gas will penetrate a brick wall. An inexperienced person should never use cyanide of potassium for any purpose, and if it be found practicable to treat buildings in general for the extermination of insects, the work should be done only under the direction of competent officials. Experiments have shown that a smaller dose and a shorter period of exposure are required to kill mice than for roaches and household insects generally, and it readily follows that the larger animals and human beings would be more quickly overcome than mice, since a smaller supply of pure air would be required to sustain life in mice, and small openings are more numerous than large ones.
The materials employed and the method of procedure are as follows: After ascertaining the cubic content of the inclosure, provide a glass or stoneware (not metal) vessel of 2 to 4 gallons capacity for each 5,000 cubic feet of space to be fumigated. Distribute the jars according to the space, and run a smooth cord from each jar to a common point near an outside door where they may all be fastened; support the cord above the jar by means of the back of a chair or other convenient object in such a position that when the load of cyanide of potassium is attached it will hang directly over the center of the jar. Next weigh out upon a piece of soft paper about 17 ounces of 98 per cent pure cyanide of potassium, using a large pair of forceps for handling the lumps; wrap up and place in a paper bag and tie to the end of the cord over the jar. After the load for each jar has been similarly provided, it is well to test the working of the cords to see that they do not catch or bind. Then remove the jar a short distance from under the load of cyanide and place in it a little more than a quart of water, to which slowly add 1 1/2 pints of commercial sulphuric acid, stirring freely. The action of the acid will bring the temperature of the combination almost to the boiling point. Replace the jars beneath the bags of cyanide, spreading a large sheet of heavy paper on the floor to catch any acid that may possibly fly over the edge of the jar when the cyanide is dropped, or as a result of the violent chemical action which follows. Close all outside openings and open up the interior of the apartment as much as possible, in order that the full strength of the gas may reach the hiding places of the insects. See that all entrances are locked or guarded on the outside to prevent persons entering; then leave the building, releasing the cords as you go. The gas will all be given off in a few minutes, and should remain in the building at least 3 hours.
When the sulphuric acid comes in contact with the cyanide of potassium the result is the formation of sulphate of potash, which remains in the jar, and the hydrocyanic acid is liberated and {419} escapes into the air. The chemical action is so violent as to cause a sputtering, and frequently particles of the acid are thrown over the sides of the jar; this may be prevented by supporting a sheet of stiff paper over the jar by means of a hole in the center, through which the cord supporting the cyanide of potassium is passed, so that when the cord is released the paper will descend with the cyanide and remain at rest on the top of the jar, but will not prevent the easy descent of the cyanide into the acid. The weight of this paper will in no way interfere with the escape of the gas.
At the end of the time required for fumigation, the windows and doors should be opened from the outside and the gas allowed to escape before anyone enters the building. A general cleaning should follow, as the insects leave their hiding places and, dying on the floors, are easily swept up and burned. The sulphate of potash remaining in the jars is poisonous and should be immediately buried and the jars themselves filled with earth or ashes. No food that has remained during fumigation should be used, and thorough ventilation should be maintained for several hours. After one of these experiments it was noted that ice water which had remained in a closed cooler had taken up the gas, and had both the odor and taste of cyanide.
For dwellings one fumigation each year would be sufficient, but for storage houses it may be necessary to make an application every 3 or 4 months to keep them entirely free from insect pests. The cost of materials for one application is about 50 cents for each 5,000 cubic feet of space to be treated. The cyanide of potassium can be purchased at about 35 cents per pound, and the commercial sulphuric acid at about 4 cents per pound. The strength of the dose may be increased and the time of exposure somewhat shortened, but this increases the cost and does not do the work so thoroughly. In no case, however, should the dose remain less than 1 hour.
The application of this method of controlling household insects and pests generally is to be found in checking the advance of great numbers of some particular insect, or in eradicating them where they have become thoroughly established. This method will be found very advantageous in clearing old buildings and ships of cockroaches.
Applications For Cattle, Poultry, Etc.:
See also Veterinary Formulas.
Fly Protectives For Animals.—
| I.— | Oil of cloves | 3 parts |
|---|---|---|
| Bay oil | 5 parts | |
| Eucalyptus tincture | 5 parts | |
| Alcohol | 150 parts | |
| Water | 200 parts |
II.—Tar well diluted with grease of any kind is as effective an agent as any for keeping flies from cattle. The mixture indicated has the advantage of being cheap. Applying to the legs, neck, and ears will usually be sufficient.
Cattle Dip For Ticks.
| Sulphur | 86 pounds |
| Extra dynamo oil | 1,000 gallons |
Insecticides For Animals.—
| By weight | ||
|---|---|---|
| I.— | Bay oil | 500 parts |
| Naphthalene | 100 parts | |
| Camphor | 60 parts | |
| Animal oil | 25 parts | |
| II.— | Bay oil, pressed | 400 parts |
| Naphthalene | 100 parts | |
| Crude carbolic acid | 10 parts | |
For Dogs, Cats, Etc.
| Naphthalene | 4 av. ounces |
| Starch | 12 av. ounces |
Reduce to fine powder. A few grains of lampblack added will impart a light gray color, and if desirable a few drops of oil of pennyroyal or eucalyptus will disguise the naphthalene odor.
Rub into the skin of the animal and let the powder remain for a day or two, when the same can be removed by combing or giving a bath, to which some infusion of quassia or quassia chips has been added. This treatment is equally efficient for lice and ticks.
Poultry Lice Destroyer.
II.—Oil of eucalyptus smeared about the coop will cause the parasites to leave. To drive them out of the nests of sitting hens, place in the nest an egg that has been emptied, and into which has been inserted a bit of sponge imbibed in essence of eucalyptus. There may be used also a concentrated solution of extract of tobacco, to which phenol has been added. {420}
III.—Cover the floor or soil of the house with ground or powdered plaster, taken from old walls, etc.
Ant Destroyers:
A most efficacious means of getting rid of ants is spraying their resorts with petroleum. The common oil is worth more for this purpose than the refined. Two thorough sprayings usually suffice.
In armoires, dressing cases, etc., oil of turpentine should be employed. Pour it in a large plate, and let it evaporate freely. Tobacco juice is another effective agent, but both substances have the drawback of a very penetrating and disagreeable odor.
Boiling water is deadly to ants wherever it can be used (as in the garden, or yard around the house). So is carbon disulphide injected into the nests by aid of a good, big syringe. An emulsion of petroleum and water (oil, 1 part; water, 3 parts) poured on the earth has proven very efficacious, when plentifully used (say from 1 ounce to 3 ounces to the square yard). A similar mixture of calcium sulphide and water (calcium sulphide, 100 parts; water, 1,000 parts; and the white of 1 egg to every quart of water) poured into their holes is also effective.
A weak solution of corrosive sublimate is very deadly to ants. Not only does it kill them eventually, but it seems to craze them before death, so that ants of the same nest, after coming into contact with the poison, will attack each other with the greatest ferocity.
Where ants select a particular point for their incursions it is a good plan to surround it with a “fortification” of obnoxious substance. Sulphur has been used successfully in this way, and so has coal oil. The latter, however, is not a desirable agent, leaving a persistent stain and odor.
The use of carbon disulphide is recommended to destroy ants’ nests on lawns. A little of the disulphide is poured into the openings of the hills, stepping on each as it is treated to close it up. The volatile vapors of the disulphide will penetrate the chambers of the nest in every direction, and if sufficient has been used will kill not only the adult insects but the larvæ as well. A single treatment is generally sufficient.
Formulas To Drive Ants Away.—
| I.— | Water | 1 quart |
|---|---|---|
| Cape aloes | 4 ounces | |
| Boil together and add: | ||
| Camphor in small pieces | 1 1/2 ounces | |
| II.— | Powdered cloves | 1 ounce |
| Insect powder | 1 ounce | |
| Scatter around where ants infest. | ||
| III.— | Cape aloes | 1/2 pound |
| Water | 4 pints | |
Boil together and add camphor gum, 3 ounces. Sprinkle around where the ants infest.
Bedbug Destroyers.
A good bug killer is benzine, pure and simple, or mixed with a little oil of mirbane. It evaporates quickly and leaves no stain. The only trouble is the inflammability of its vapor.
The following is a popular preparation: To half a gallon of kerosene oil add a quart of spirit of turpentine and an ounce of oil of pennyroyal. This mixture is far less dangerous than benzine. The pennyroyal as well as the turpentine are not only poisonous but exceedingly distasteful to insects of all kinds. The kerosene while less quickly fatal to bugs than benzine is cheaper and safer, and when combined with the other ingredients becomes as efficient.
Where the wall paper and wood work of a room have become invaded, the usual remedy is burning sulphur. To be efficient the room must have every door, window, crevice, and crack closed. The floor should be wet in advance so as to moisten the air. A rubber tube should lead from the burning sulphur to a key-hole or auger-hole and through it, and by aid of a pair of bellows air should be blown to facilitate the combustion of the sulphur.
Pastes.
| I.— | Common soap | 1 av. ounce |
|---|---|---|
| Ammonium chloride | 3 av. ounces | |
| Corrosive sublimate | 3 av. ounces | |
| Water enough to make | 32 fluidounces. |
Dissolve the salts in the water and add the soap.
This will make a paste that can be painted with a brush around in the cracks and crevices. Besides, it will make an excellent filling to keep the cracks of the wall and wainscoting free from bugs of all kinds. The formula could be modified so as to permit the use {421} of Paris green or London purple, if desired. A decoction of quassia could be used to dissolve the soap. The latter paste would, of course, not be poisonous, and in many instances it would be preferred. It is possible to make a cold infusion of white hellebore of 25 per cent strength, and in 1 quart of infusion dissolve 1 ounce of common soap. The advantage of the soap paste is simply to keep the poisonous substance thoroughly distributed throughout the mass at all times. The density of the paste can be varied to suit. Kerosene oil or turpentine could replace 6 ounces or 8 ounces of the water in making the paste, and either of these would make a valuable addition.
Another paste preparation which will meet with hearty recommendation is blue ointment. This ointment, mixed with turpentine or kerosene oil, can be used to good advantage; especially so as the turpentine is so penetrating that both it and the mercury have a chance to act more effectually. It can be said that turpentine will kill the bedbug if the two come in contact; and kerosene is not far behindhand in its deadly work.
| II.— | Blue ointment | 1 ounce |
|---|---|---|
| Turpentine | 3 ounces |
Stir well together.
Liquid Bedbug Preparations.
| I.— | Oil of pennyroyal | 1 drachm |
|---|---|---|
| Turpentine | 8 ounces | |
| Kerosene oil, enough to make | 1 gallon. |
Put up in 8-ounce bottles as a bedbug exterminator.
| II.— | Oil of eucalyptus | 1 drachm |
|---|---|---|
| Eucalyptus leaves | 1 ounce | |
| Benzine | 2 ounces | |
| Turpentine | 2 ounces | |
| Kerosene enough to make | 16 ounces. |
Mix the turpentine, benzine, and kerosene oil, and macerate the eucalyptus leaves in it for 24 hours; then strain and make up the measure to 1 pint, having first added the oil of eucalyptus.
Fly-killers.
A fly poison that is harmless to man may be made from quassia wood as follows:
| Quassia | 1,000 parts |
| Molasses | 150 parts |
| Alcohol | 50 parts |
| Water | 5,750 parts |
Macerate the quassia in 500 parts of water for 24 hours, boil for half an hour, set aside for 24 hours, then press out the liquid. Mix this with the molasses and evaporate to 200 parts. Add the alcohol and the remaining 750 parts of water, and without filtering, saturate absorbent paper with it.
This being set out on a plate with a little water attracts the flies, which are killed by partaking of the liquid.
Sticky Preparations.—
| I.— | Rosin | 150 parts |
|---|---|---|
| Linseed oil | 50 parts | |
| Honey | 18 parts | |
| Melt the rosin and oil together and stir in the honey. | ||
| II.— | Rapeseed oil | 70 parts |
| Rosin | 30 parts | |
| Mix and melt together. | ||
| III.— | Rosin | 60 parts |
| Linseed oil | 38 parts | |
| Yellow wax | 2 parts | |
| IV.— | Rosin | 10 parts |
| Turpentine | 5 parts | |
| Rapeseed oil | 5 parts | |
| Honey | 1 part | |
Sprinkling Powders For Flies.—
| I.— | Long peppers, powdered | 5 parts |
|---|---|---|
| Quassia wood, powdered | 5 parts | |
| Sugar, powdered | 10 parts |
Mix, moisten the mixture with 4 parts of alcohol, dry, and again powder. Keep the powder in closely stoppered jars, taking out a sufficient quantity as desired.
| II.— | Orris root, powdered | 4 parts |
|---|---|---|
| Starch, powdered | 15 parts | |
| Eucalyptol | 1 part |
Mix. Keep in a closely stoppered jar or box. Strew in places affected by flies.
Fly Essences.—
| I.— | Eucalyptol | 10 parts |
|---|---|---|
| Bergamot oil | 3 parts | |
| Acetic ether | 10 parts | |
| Cologne water | 50 parts | |
| Alcohol, 90 per cent | 100 parts |
Mix. One part of this “essence” is {422} to be added to 10 parts of water and sprayed around the rooms frequently.
| II.— | Eucalyptol | 10 parts |
|---|---|---|
| Acetic ether | 5 parts | |
| Cologne water | 40 parts | |
| Tincture of insect powder (1:5) | 50 parts |
Remedies Against Human Parasites:
| By weight | ||
|---|---|---|
| I.— | Yellow wax | 85 parts |
| Spermaceti | 60 parts | |
| Sweet oil | 500 parts | |
| Melt and add: | ||
| Boiling distilled water | 150 parts | |
| After cooling add: | ||
| Clove oil | 2 parts | |
| Thyme oil | 3 parts | |
| Eucalyptus oil | 4 parts | |
| II.— | Bay oil, pressed | 100 parts |
| Acetic ether | 12 parts | |
| Clove oil | 4 parts | |
| Eucalyptus oil | 3 parts | |
For Head Lice In Children.
To Exterminate Mites.
Vermin Killer.—
| Sabadilla, powder | 2 av. ounces |
| Acetic acid | 1/2 fluidounce |
| Wood alcohol | 2 fluidounces |
| Water sufficient to make | 16 fluid ounces. |
Mix the acetic acid with 14 fluidounces of water and boil the sabadilla in this mixture for 5 to 10 minutes, and when nearly cold add the alcohol, let stand, and decant the clear solution and bottle.
Directions: Shake the bottle and apply to the affected parts night and morning.
Insecticides For Plants.
Two formulas for insecticides with especial reference to vermin which attack plants:
| I.— | Kerosene | 2 gallons |
|---|---|---|
| Common soap | 1/2 pound | |
| Water | 1 gallon |
Heat the solution of soap, add it boiling hot to the kerosene and churn until it forms a perfect emulsion. For use upon scale insects it is diluted with 9 parts of water; upon other ordinary insects with 15 parts of water, and upon soft insects, like plant lice, with from 20 to 25 parts of water.
For lice, etc., which attack the roots of vines and trees the following is recommended:
| II.— | Caustic soda | 5 pounds |
|---|---|---|
| Rosin | 40 pounds | |
| Water, a sufficient quantity. | ||
Dissolve the soda in 4 gallons of water, by the aid of heat, add the rosin and after it is dissolved and while boiling add, slowly, enough water to make 50 gallons. For use, 1 part of this mixture is diluted with 10 parts of water and about 5 gallons of the product poured into a depression near the root of the vine or tree.
For Cochineal Insects.
Dissolve, hot, 4 parts of black soap in 15 parts of hot water. Let cool to 104° F., and pour in 10 parts of ordinary petroleum, shaking vigorously. Thus an emulsion of café au lait color is obtained, which may be preserved indefinitely. For employment, each part of the emulsion is diluted, according to circumstances, with from 10 to 20 parts of water.
For Locusts.
A composition for the destruction of pear blight, which has been patented in {423} the United States, is as follows: Peppermint oil, 16 parts; ammonia water, 60 parts; calomel, 30 parts; and linseed oil, 1,000 parts.
For Moths And Caterpillars.—
| I.— | Venice turpentine | 200 parts |
|---|---|---|
| Rosin | 1,000 parts | |
| Turpentine | 140 parts | |
| Tar | 80 parts | |
| Lard | 500 parts | |
| Rape oil | 240 parts | |
| Tallow | 200 parts | |
| II.— | Rosin | 50 parts |
| Lard | 40 parts | |
| Stearine oil | 40 parts |
For Non-masticating Insects.
| Kerosene | 2 gallons |
| Common soap | 8 ounces |
| Water | 1 gallon |
Dissolve the soap in the water by the aid of heat, bring to the boiling point, and add the kerosene in portions, agitating well after each addition. This is conveniently done by means of the pump to be used for spraying the mixture.
For Scale Insects.
For the extermination of scale insects, resinous preparations are also employed, which kill by covering them with an impervious coating. Such a wash may be made as follows:
| Rosin | 3 1/2 pounds |
| Caustic soda | 1 pound |
| Fish oil | 8 ounces |
| Water | 20 gallons |
Boil the rosin, soda, and oil with a small portion of the water, adding the remainder as solution is effected.
For the San José scale a stronger preparation is required, the proportion of water being decreased by half, but such a solution is applied only when the tree is dormant.
Scale Insects On Orange Trees.
The oily washes are said to be the best for the use by the spraying method. “Kerosene emulsion” is a type of these washes. A formula published by the United States Department of Agriculture follows: Kerosene, 2 gallons; whale-oil soap, 1/2 pound; water, 1 gallon. The soap is dissolved in hot water, the kerosene added, and the whole thoroughly emulsified by means of a power pump until a rather heavy, creamy emulsion is produced. The quantity of soap may be increased if desired. The insecticide is applied by spraying the infected tree with an ordinary force pump with spraying nozzle.
Coating Against The Plant Louse.
(b) Mix 4 parts of carbolic acid with 100 parts water glass.
Louse Washes.—
| Unslaked lime | 18 parts |
| Sulphur | 9 parts |
| Salt | 6.75 parts |
Mix as follows: A fourth part of the lime is slaked and boiled for 2/3 of an hour with the sulphur in 22.6 parts of water. The remainder of the lime is then slaked and added with the salt to the hot mixture. The whole is burned for another half hour or an hour, and then diluted to 353 parts. The fluid is applied lukewarm when the plants are not in active growth.
For Slugs On Roses.—
| Powdered pyrethrum | 8 ounces |
| Powdered colocynth | 4 ounces |
| Powdered hellebore | 16 ounces |
Flea Powder.—
| Naphthalene | 4 ounces |
| Talcum | 10 ounces |
| Tobacco dust | 2 ounces |
{424}
To Keep Flaxseed Free From Bugs.
Insect Powders.
Pyrethrum, whale oil (in the form of soap), fish oil (in the form of soap), soft soap, paraffine, Prussic acid, Paris green, white lead, sulphur, carbon bisulphide, acorus calamus, camphor, Cayenne pepper, tobacco, snuff, asafetida, white hellebore, eucalyptol, quassia, borax, acetic ether are most important substances used as insecticides, alone, or in combination of two or more of them. The Prussic acid and Paris green are dangerous poisons and require to be used with extreme care:
Insect powder is used for all small insects and as a destroyer of roaches. The observations of some experimenters seem to show that the poisonous principle of these flowers is non-volatile, but the most favorable conditions under which to use them are in a room tightly closed and well warmed. There may be two poisonous principles, one of which is volatile. Disappointment sometimes arises in their use from getting powder either adulterated, or which has been exposed to the air and consequently lost some of its efficiency.
The dust resulting from the use of insect powder sometimes proves irritating to the mucous membranes of the one applying the powder. This is best avoided by the use of a spray atomizer.
Persistence in the use of any means is an important element in the work of destroying insects. A given poison may be employed and no visible result follow at first, when in reality many may have been destroyed, enough being left to deceive the observer as to numbers. They multiply very rapidly, too, it must be remembered, and vigorous work is required to combat this increase. Where they can easily migrate from one householder’s premises to those of another, as in city “flats,” it requires constant vigilance to keep them down, and entire extermination is scarcely to be expected.
The ordinary insect powder on the market is made from pyrethrum carneum, pyrethrum roseum, and pyrethrum cinerariæ-folium. The first two are generally ground together and are commercially called Persian insect powder; while the third is commonly called Dalmatian insect powder. These powders are sold in the stores under many names and in combination with other powders under proprietary names.
The powder is obtained by crushing the dried flowers of the pellitory (pyrethrum). The leaves, too, are often used. They are cultivated in the Caucasus, whence the specific name Caucasicum sometimes used. Pyrethrum belongs to the natural order compositæ, and is closely allied to the chrysanthemum. The active principle is not a volatile oil, as stated by some writers, but a rosin, which can be dissolved out from the dry flowers by means of ether. The leaves also contain this rosin but in smaller proportions than the flowers. Tincture of pyrethrum is made by infusing the dried flowers in five times their weight of rectified spirit of wine. Diluted with water it is used as a lotion.
Borax powder also makes a very good insectifuge. It appears to be particularly effective against the common or kitchen cockroach. Camphor is sometimes used, and the powdered dried root of acorus calamus, the sweet flag. A mixture of white lead with four times its weight of chalk is also highly recommended. The fish-oil soaps used in a powdered form are made from various recipes; of which the following is a typical example:
| Powdered rosin | 2 pounds |
| Caustic soda | 8 ounces |
| Fish or whale oil | 4 ounces |
Boil together in a gallon of water for at least an hour, replacing some of the water if required.
The following insect-powder formulas are perfectly safe to use. In each instance insect powder relates to either one of the pyrethrum plants powdered, or to a mixture:
| I.— | Insect powder | 8 ounces av. |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered borax | 8 ounces av. | |
| Oil of pennyroyal | 2 fluidrachms | |
| II.— | Insect powder | 8 ounces av. |
| Borax | 8 ounces av. | |
| Sulphur | 4 ounces av. | |
| Oil of eucalyptus | 2 fluidrachms | |
| This formula is especially good for cockroaches: | ||
| III.— | Insect powder | 14 ounces av. |
| Quassia in fine powder | 6 ounces av. | |
| White hellebore, powdered | 2 ounces av. | |
{425}
Beetle Powder.—
| Cocoa powder | 4 ounces |
| Starch | 8 ounces |
| Borax | 37 ounces |
Mix thoroughly.
Remedies Against Mosquitoes.
Oil of pennyroyal is commonly used to keep mosquitoes away. Some form of petroleum rubbed on the skin is even more efficient, but unpleasant to use, and if left on long enough will burn the skin.
A 40 per cent solution of formaldehyde for mosquito bites gives remarkably quick and good results. It should be applied to the bites as soon as possible with the cork of the bottle, and allowed to dry on. Diluted ammonia is also used to rub on the bites.
Roach Exterminators.
| Borax | 37 ounces |
| Starch | 9 ounces |
| Cocoa | 4 ounces |
Moth Exterminators.
| Spanish pepper | 100 parts |
| Turpentine oil | 50 parts |
| Camphor | 25 parts |
| Clove oil | 10 parts |
| Alcohol, 96 per cent | 900 parts |
Cut the Spanish pepper into little bits, and pour over them the alcohol and oil of turpentine. Let stand 2 or 3 days, then decant, and press out. To the liquid thus obtained add the camphor and clove oil, let stand a few days, then filter and fill into suitable bottles. To use, imbibe bits of bibulous paper in the liquid and put them in the folds of clothing to be protected.
Protecting Stuffed Furniture From Moths.
Powder To Keep Moths Away.—
| Cloves | 2 ounces |
| Cinnamon | 2 ounces |
| Mace | 2 ounces |
| Black pepper | 2 ounces |
| Orris root | 2 ounces |
Powder coarsely and mix well together.
Book-worms.
INSECT POWDERS: See Insecticides.