. Circular. Insects. 5 however, known to be able to survive for long periods without food, specimens having been kept for a year in a sealed vial, with abso- lutely no means of sustenance whatever, and in unoccupied houses it can undoubtedly undergo fasts of extreme length. Individuals obtained from eggs have been kept in small sealed vials in this office for several months, remaining active and sprightly in spite of the fact that they had never taken any nourishment whatever. Extraordinary stories are current of the remarkable intelligence of this insect in circumventing various efforts to pr
. Circular. Insects. 5 however, known to be able to survive for long periods without food, specimens having been kept for a year in a sealed vial, with abso- lutely no means of sustenance whatever, and in unoccupied houses it can undoubtedly undergo fasts of extreme length. Individuals obtained from eggs have been kept in small sealed vials in this office for several months, remaining active and sprightly in spite of the fact that they had never taken any nourishment whatever. Extraordinary stories are current of the remarkable intelligence of this insect in circumventing various efforts to prevent its gaining access to beds. Most of these are undoubtedly exaggerations, but the inherited experience of many centuries of companionship with man, during which the bedbug has always found its host an active enemy, has resulted in a knowledge of the habits of the human ani- mal and a facility of concealment, particularly as evidenced by its abandoning beds and often going to distant quarters for protection. Fig. 3.—Climex lectularius: a, larval skin shed at first moult; />, second larval stage taken immediately after emerging from a; c, same after first meal, distended with blood (original). and hiding during daylight, which indicate considerable apparent intelligence. The bite of the bedbug is decidedly poisonous to some individuals, resulting in a slight swelling and disagreeable inflammation. To such persons the presence of bedbugs is sufficient to cause the great- est uneasiness, if not to put sleep and rest entirely out of the question. With others, however, who are less sensitive, the presence of the bugs may not be recognized at all, and, except for the occasional staining of the linen by a crushed individual, their presence might be entirely overlooked. The inflammation experienced by sensitive persons seems to result merely from the puncture of the skin by the sharp piercing setae which constitute the puncturing element of the mouth parts, as there seems to b
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublishe, booksubjectinsects
