Brian Schroeder Jr., age 12, of Dover, Del., for his question:
HOW CAN YOU GET RID OF COCKROACHES?
A cockroach is a troublesome insect that is an unpleasant household pest throughout the world. Cockroaches can be killed by using roach powders that contain sodium fluoride, borax, sodium fluosilicate, rotenone or pyrethrum. Roach powder should be dusted around sinks and waterpipes.
The cockroach takes the poison into its body when it grooms itself. It scrapes the foreign particles and dust from its body with its legs and then draws its legs and feelers through its mouth.
Cockroaches can also be trapped easily in large wide mouth jars. Food scraps can be placed in the jar and a paper funnel fitted into the top.
But perhaps the best way to beat the cockroach problem is not to let the insect into your home. The insects usually can be kept out of houses by keeping all of the rooms very clean and dry.
Cockroaches grow and reproduce best when there is dirt, grease and moisture. So by eliminating these from your home, you're on the way toward getting rid of the creatures.
There are more than 2,000 species of cockroaches, and they are in all parts of the world. They are related to grasshoppers and crickets.
The cockroach has a flattened, slippery body, covered with a shiny, leathery casing. It has long legs covered with bristles and long feelers that are called antennae. The strong legs permit the cockroach to run rapidly. The insect is one of the fastest runners you'll see.
Cockroaches eat food, garbage, bookbindings and other insects, such as bedbugs. They live in homes, bakeries, grocery stores, office buildings, restaurants, hotels, flour mills and libraries. In other words, you'll find the cockroach almost anyplace.
Swarms of cockroaches slip out at night through cracks in the walls and floors to look for food. Cockroaches are dirty and spread germs on everything they touch.
Many kinds of cockroaches are found outdoors. They often can be found under stones and leaves or the loose bark of rotting logs and dead trees.
The most common kinds of cockroaches found in houses in America are the Croton bug or German cockroach, the American cockroach, the Australian cockroach, the brown banded cockroach and the oriental cockroach, or black beetle.
The Croton bug is smaller than the other kinds, but it is more destructive. It also reproduces more rapidly than the others.
The Croton bug gets its name because it first was found in large numbers in the Croton waterworks system of New York City. The Croton bug is pale yellow brown with two stripes on the front part of the body.
Other cockroaches vary in color from light to dark wood brown.