Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-16
THE MOSQUITO MUST GO.
One Way the Pest May be l1itigated
or Exterminated.

Or. Il. O. Mecook in North American Review.
Can the mosquito pest be mitigated2 That
Il quite another question, which has Just been
raised by philanthropic gentleman Of strong
scientific tastes DR. Lamborn, who has re-
Gently offered prize for preliminary study
Of the habits Of dragon-Aiss, with . view TO
their propagation a. destroyers Of mo squitoes,
has found the ready ear Of the American ma
ton. - II 10 the female mosquito that
does Ill the damage. Her spouse 10 . harm
less creature. Where the conditions are favor
able for propagation and growth, the mosquito,
like other creatures, will flourish. II those
conditions can be made unfavorable the insect
must decrease. This compels rs to ask, "what
are favorable conditions for the mosquitoes de-
velopment?'
The question il easier asked than accurately
answered. In point Of fact, the mosquito has
. cosmopolitan distribution. 1t is supposed to
noufishes In Labrador. Il affects low-lying
positions, but lovers Of the Adirondack noun
tsins win recall visions Of ''smudges," and
oheese-cloth canopies on rustic banks, and bat
OF pines and the sweet fragrance of the balsam.
1t loves the interior, but, wherever found, one
condition seems to be essential to Its active de-
velopment 1t must have water.
The mother mosquito deposits her eggs in
minute, boat-like masses upon the surface Of
the water. From these eggs come little larve,
OF worms, or msggots, to use popular words.
These wee things inhabit the water, living
most OF the time at or near the bottom, where
they are said to feed upon decaying matter and
the heterogeneous that swarm in such con-
ditions. The question has often been asked
me, "what we're mosquitoes made for, any
howY II those who have specially studied
the habits of the insects are correct they GER
tainly render important and useful service
during their larval stage by cleansing swamp
lands and stagnant pools from the miasms
which plague mankind with various forms Of
fever.
The mosquitoes brief period Of larval life ID
divided between feeding upon the aforesaid
micro-organisms, &C., and occasional excur-
sions to the surface for breath Of air. Un-
with greatly enlarged thorax, which gives
the body club-shaped appearance. Two
broad paddles or caudA swimming leaves are
liked at the apex Of the body by which the mos.
quitoes can wiggle their way through the
water. They are active in their habits, bu,
they do not eat Perhaps their larval diet Of
m'asms proves too much for them. Soon they
awake at the call Of nature to another element
and another sphere Of activity.
II may shock the esthetic sensibilities Of the
general public to speak OF anything. beautiful
or fairy-like in the natural history Of the mos
quito, but really such terms are truly applica
BILE when the mosquito pupa begins to trans
form. Let me briefly describe the process al
entomologists have observed il. These little
fsh-like larv@ have spent their first stage Of
being swimming about in :tagnant water, de-
vourtng the living atoms that swarm therein
They reach their second stage by casting of
the larval akin and becoming pupa. In THU
stage they remain rolled up like q ball and foa
at the surface Of the water for the purpose Ell
breathing through the two respiratory tubes OF
TON nf thoip hal he 1sok,V ha1 kx-a
unwonted agitation of the water, they suddenly
uncurl their bodies and whirl over and ovei
from side to side. This turnverein existence
spent with no sustaining nutriment but stmos
pheric air, terminates in the course Of few
days.
Now the little water tumblers are ready for
another Transformation. The skin splits on
the back between the breathing tubes. and q
little boat Is thus formed, as gracefully curved
at the bow and poop as the imperial barge OF
Cleopatra. Out Of this fairy bark there sud-
denly issues a winged creature. The head, the
body, the limbs burst from the opening in the
hard skin. The slender legs are raised on the
edges Of the empty bark until, spreading its
wings and pluming itself for flight into sun
light and air, the insect rises, while, by the re-
fex Of its upward bound, its tiny bark is over
set and sinks beneath the wave. If the poet OF
artist were to catch this vision at the moment
the insect leaves its abandoned bark and
stretches its wings for flight, he nigh; well
imagine that he had obtained glimpse Of the
good old days when one might see ''old Pro-
teus" or young Venus ''rising from the sea. VI
Alas, that Prof. Gradgrind, the naturalist,
should be compelled to tell him that he had
only seen mosquito transforming!
This is the natural history of the animals en-
vironment. The practical question is: How can
one 30 control these conditions as to limit the
multiplication Of the insects? Obviously the
answer Is: Limit their natural breeding
grounds. When swamps are dried up. when
stagnant pools are filed up, when brackish
lakes and sluggish streams are drained and
dredged and graded 80 as to give free current
to their waters, when the swamp grasses, weeds,
sedges and various plants in which mosquitoes
find refuge after transformation are cut down
and cleared away-when, in short, the scythe,
lawn mower, grubbing axe and gardeners hand
Of diligence, thrift, cleanliness and care have
turned our country into cultivated garden,
the days Of the mosquito as pest will be num-
bered. Culex pipiens and all the other species
Of culicide the family OF mosquitoes and
gnsts) will still have their representatives in
the land, but they will be shorn of their power
to deplete the veins Of summer cottagers and