Abstract
THE Ministry of Health has recently issued two brochures dealing with the bed-bug, its habits and methods of eradication. While this insect is not known to be actually concerned with the transmission of the pathogenic organisms of any specific disease, its presence in large numbers is a menace to humanity. The insect is perhaps responsible for ill-health from lack of sleep due to skin irritation, and its presence accentuates the already insanitary conditions under which it thrives. During recent years, the problem of its eradication has come more and more into pro minence in connexion with slum clearance and other schemes. A large number of tenants ‘of ‘council house's come from verminous dwellings, and the need for ensuring that the new houses are not similarly infested from the outset is a matter of concern to the local authorities. A report of the Committee on the Eradication of Bed-bugs has recently been issued (Reports on Public Health and Medical Subjects. No. 72. 1934. 46 pp. H.M. Stationery Office, 1s. 0d. net). This Committee, under the chairmanship of Dr. G. W. Monier-Williams, has, in its report, sum marised the present position and indicated the lines along which future work on bed-bug control might be profitably undertaken. The life-history of the insect is discussed, and various methods of control are dealt with. In view of the lack of accurate information as to the bionomics and habits of the insect, various lines are emphasised along which research requires to be carried out. The report is accompanied by two well-executed coloured plates, illustrating various phases in the life of the insect, together with an excellent annotated bibliography.
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Control of the Bed-bug. Nature 134, 209 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/134209a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/134209a0